Green light for solar farm

A new solar farm is set to be built near Pershore after plans were backed by the council.

Wychavon District Council’s planning committee has given the green light to plans by Bristol-based Aura Power for a solar farm at Bishampton near Pershore.

The development will generate enough renewable electricity to supply the equivalent of 7,800 typical homes and will save an estimated 9,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Work is expected to start next spring and will take around three months.

Chris Featonby, development manager at Aura Power, said: “Bishampton solar farm will really help Wychavon in its commendable efforts to become Intelligently Green. It will deliver other long-lasting benefits, boosting biodiversity and ecology and ensuring the long-term viability and ongoing agricultural business of the landowner.

“During the consultation process we spent a great deal of time engaging with the local community and made substantial revisions to our plans in response to their concerns. Thank you to the council officers, parish and district councillors and statutory consultees for the hard work they put into considering our application.

“We understand that some people don’t like to see change in the countryside, but if we don’t respond to the climate emergency with projects like this that will make a genuine difference, the countryside will be changed forever.”

Aura said it will be setting up community fund which could amount to as much as £367,000 with £1,000 put aside ever year for educational sessions with local schools and site visits.