Brentwood Borough Council's Planning Committee has approved plans for a solar farm and battery energy storage system at Fitzwalters Farm on Roman Road, Shenfield, subject to conditions aimed at minimising impacts and ensuring the scheme is managed appropriately over its life.

The consented project includes a 49.9MW solar array, battery storage facilities and associated infrastructure. It has been authorised as a temporary development, operating for up to 40 years before the panels, storage equipment and other infrastructure are removed and the land is restored. The proposal’s temporary and reversible nature formed part of the assessment.

-- Advertisement --

The decision followed detailed scrutiny of all relevant planning considerations, including Green Belt implications, landscape effects, biodiversity measures and the benefits of renewable energy generation.

Members weighed the application against national and local planning policies and concluded that the benefits of producing clean electricity, together with wider environmental gains, outweighed the identified harm to the Green Belt.

Anticipated benefits include the generation of renewable power, improved energy resilience through battery storage, contributions to climate change mitigation and significant biodiversity enhancements across the site. The solar farm is expected to generate up to 49.9MW of renewable electricity, with an estimated annual output of approximately 63,208MWh, which would be enough to power 23,410 homes a year.

The approved scheme also provides for habitat creation and enhancement, alongside the retention and management of landscape features and public rights of way.