Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘Fight not over’ as UK’S biggest solar park approved
The UK’S biggest solar farm will be built on the outskirts of the Canterbury district after winning Government approval.
Despite years of campaigning and hundreds of objections, the green light has been given to the mammoth 900acre project, which will power 91,000 homes across east Kent. Environment Secretary Alok Sharma announced his decision on Thursday, sparking an outcry of frustration from angry residents wanting to safeguard the countryside location at Graveney, between Whitstable and Faversham. The decision means sprawling farm and marshland will become home to 880,000 solar panels as tall as double-decker buses, as well as the world’s biggest lithium battery plant, which will be the size of 20 football pitches. Called the Cleve Hill Solar Park (CHSP), it is a joint venture between two solar energy firms, Hive Energy Ltd and Wirsol Energy Ltd. Campaigners have this week labelled the decision a “monumental travesty” and have continued to express their fears that the project will be an environmental disaster for Graveney. Meanwhile, CHSP bosses are unsurprisingly “delighted” by the decision, stating they are “proud to lead the way to deliver the UK’S largest solar park”.
They added: “CHSP offers a real solution to our urgent climate needs and showcases the potential for the UK to lead the green recovery.” Construction is due to begin in the spring of 2021, with the development taking place over two phases. The first will take 18 months to complete and includes the solar park and a habitat management area, while phase two would involve the creation of the huge energy storage facility, before the site becomes operational in 2023. Mr Sharma made the final decision based on a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate, a government body which carried out an enquiry after examining the application and any evidence presented.
The Planning Inspectorate made the recommendation after plans to preserve native woodland and scrub by creating a habitat management area were added.