Leicestershire County Council has taken an additional step towards realising its ambition to develop its own 10MW solar farm, having secured planning permission for the scheme. 

Supported by Carter Jonas’ energy planning specialists, the council obtained approval earlier this summer.

The solar farm will be constructed on a 55-acre, council-owned site on the outskirts of Quorn, near Loughborough. The scheme will generate over 9GWh of renewable electricity a year, producing enough power to supply over 2,000 homes. The development will also support the authority's ambition to achieve carbon neutral status by 2030.

Carter Jonas’ team will continue its long-term involvement with the project, advising the council throughout the next stages towards the solar farm’s implementation. 

Simon Currie, Associate Partner in the Energy team at Carter Jonas, said: “We are extremely pleased to support the advancement of this exciting project. Leicestershire County Council is one of the innovative authorities now leading the way on solar, deploying it to help generate a stable source of revenue and help reduce carbon emissions.

“As you would expect, the planning process has been thorough and extremely considered. We have addressed and overcome issues, including flood risk and archaeology, to produce a scheme that will deliver significant carbon emission reductions over its 40-year lifespan and provide a real benefit to wildlife through biodiversity net gain.”