December 19, 2022 7.00 pm This story is over 16 months old

Solar farm approved near Boston to power 4,500 homes

The panels will be removed after 40 years
| Image: Adobe Stock

Plans for a solar farm in a Boston village have been given the go ahead by East Lindsey District Council.

Officers at the authority have been delegated the decision to allow Pathfinder Clean Energy UKDev Ltd, to place the panels along with battery storage on land west of Mallows Lane and North of Pymoor Lane in Sibsey.

The 20 hectare site will have a capacity of around 10MW and will generate around 14.2 Gigawatt hours a year. Those behind the plans say it will be enough to power more than 4,500 homes and offset more than 3,300 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Pathfinder has said the site is a temporary development and will be “completely removed” at the end of the 40 year operation, which it said meant no agricultural land would be lost.

It will also provide large areas for sheep to graze with the majority of the scheme planted with wild flower seeds. Planners said this, along with additional hedgerows and provision for small mammals, birds and bats, would increase biodiversity by 85%.

How the new solar farm would be laid out.

A design and access statement submitted to the authority said: “The scheme will improve the resilience of the electricity grid through the utilisation of solar power… to reduce the risk of blackouts at peak times of energy demand.”

“The result will be an area providing continued agriculture, significant ecological benefits, a more interesting and varied landscape as well as renewable energy generation.”

The plans received two public objections but no statutory complaints.

The delegated decision to approve was issued on Monday.

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