To date most onshore renewables projects are led by experienced energy developers. Although experienced in delivering transport infrastructure, this was the first time Caerphilly Council invested into the energy sector; and the first time that a local authority submitted a Development of National Significance application to the Welsh Government. 

To develop a strong case for development, WSP was appointed to coordinate the planning application for the local authority under the Development of National Significance system. This included end-to-end services managing the statutory environmental screening and scoping to understand and mitigate impact, and consultation with the local community and statutory consultees like Natural Resources Wales and heritage body Cadw.  

The project also required an aggressive timetable dictated by a window of opportunity to connect a finished solar farm into the Welsh electricity grid in the 2020s. This timetable required WSP to work with the client to move the project, the largest publicly owned solar from in Wales, from inception to planning submission inside a calendar year.

To meet the needs of the project, we accessed expertise from our nationally mobile planning and consenting team to onboard and integrate a specialist team of planning, environmental, and stakeholder engagement specialists to add value from day one.

This meant our teams could quickly make decisions including advising the client on the need to undertake a full environmental impact assessment (EIA) and provide access to other WSP technical experts to support the application. Examples included using transport experts to develop the transport assessment and drainage experts who could ensure the project could satisfy Welsh Government requirements for sustainable urban drainage.

A hybrid public consultation was run, with events run in the local area and an online consultation increasing accessibility to a wider audience. Information was provided in both Welsh and English and was inclusive of visual and written content including photomontages and digital sliders to help members of the local community and statutory consultees to understand how the development would be developed. 

Work by WSP’s in-house heritage consultants alongside the Welsh Government heritage body Cadw also provided an opportunity for net heritage gain. The assessment uncovered a former deer park on the site with close connections to the iconic local Caerphilly Castle. An output of the planning process was the documentation of this and a guarantee that the development of the solar farm will include showcasing historical elements uncovered. 

The consultation provided opportunities to amend the design of the solar farm to respond to community concerns, something that will be significant if planned growth in renewables can proceed. This included repositioning transformer cabins further away from residential homes, a commitment to a Construction Traffic Management Plan to mitigate construction traffic, and provisions to improve hedgerow coverage to achieve a net positive biodiversity impact.

The planning application, as well as environmental screening, and environmental scoping at the pre-planning planning application consultation were all undertaken within a year in-line with the ambitious timetable for future grid connectivity. Local communities and statutory consultees were also consulted. In March 2023 the planning application was validated and accepted for review by PEDW with the examination expected to finish in December 2023 and the Minister’s decision anticipated in February 2024.

The application demonstrates that local authorities have the capacity and capability to develop their own energy schemes, something that could be replicated to support similar initiatives in renewables elsewhere in Wales and across the UK. As part of a portfolio of onshore renewables, WSP is helping local authorities across the UK deliver schemes including Barkham Solar Farm in Wokingham and Swansea Council’s Solar Farm on a disused landfill site.