Glebe Solar - PACE Community Portal
Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE) will shortly be bringing forward a proposal for Glebe Solar Farm, on land northeast of Reepham Road, Norfolk, NR10 3AJ.
As you may know, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently issued stark warnings of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade if urgent action isn’t taken. The Government has committed to a target of “net zero carbon emissions” and a transition away from fossil fuels for energy supply in little more than a decade.
The need for energy independence and security from global price fluctuations adds to the list of benefits of the UK producing clean energy.
Solar farms, such as that proposed off Reepham Road, are a key part of tackling the climate emergency and will form the backbone of the UK’s zero-carbon energy infrastructure:
This website contains details of our proposals, but in summary:
Several sites were considered in the area. This site was selected as having few environmental constraints, including ecology, landscape and heritage.
The local topography, mature trees, hedges and woodland, and design of the solar farm means that it will be well-screened from Drayton, Horsford and Norwich. New hedges will be planted to fill any gaps.
The size of the site presents significant opportunities for biodiversity improvements, including creating new habitats for birds and insects. It will not be necessary to remove any trees or hedges and the land beneath the panels will be available for grazing livestock as well as biodiversity improvements.
As a result, PACE believes the proposed development would be in keeping with the character of the area and would make a vital contribution to addressing the climate emergency.
Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE) brings together experience from the development, construction and operation of over 1GW of clean energy projects. This allows us to bring the latest best practices, technical solutions and innovation to our projects.
PACE is headquartered in the UK and is committed to a sustainable future. We are working to create low-carbon energy to the benefit of the environment and the community.
Our team includes ecologists, landscape and heritage specialists who help us to create environmentally friendly solar farms.
We would welcome suggestions from you as to how we can improve our project.
Solar farms are becoming a common feature in the British landscape. They use photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate energy from daylight and distribute it to homes and businesses.
They are necessary because coal power stations are closing and climate change commitments require big increases in renewable energy.
The UK urgently needs to become more self-sufficient in energy, to reduce reliance on fossil fuel supplies from other nations, and to take action to address rising energy bills. The UK Government has set targets to make the country self-sufficient in energy, and solar projects of all sizes will play a crucial role in achieving that goal.
Solar is the cheapest form of energy generation, and solar projects can be built far more quickly than other technologies, meaning they can have a far more immediate positive impact on the environment and security of supply. As a result, the Government’s energy security strategy calls for an additional 56GW of solar electricity generation to be up and running by 2035. This will be a significant national challenge, and addressing the critical need to deliver clean, efficient and affordable electricity, will require numerous projects like Glebe Solar to be delivered around the country in the months and years to come.
No harmful greenhouse gas emissions are produced and the development will generate very little noise and will not be heard outside of the site.
At the end of its 40 year operational life, the development will be removed and the site completely restored.
The proposed solar farm is located northeast of the village of Drayton and south of Horsford.
The PV arrays will be ground mounted in south facing rows. Neither the panels or the associated infrastructure will exceed 3m in height.
Existing hedges and trees, and the local topography, means that while glimpses of the development will be possible from some homes, footpaths and roads, it will be generally well contained within the site.
Below is a selection of computer-generated images prepared by PACE to illustrate what the solar farm will look like. Use the slider below to see a recent photograph before (left) and expected view after development (right).
Once operational, solar farms generate almost no traffic. The construction period will last approximately 20-25 weeks.
The proposal is for construction traffic to approach the site from the A1270 and Drayton Lane, accessing the site from the northern end of Reepham Road so that construction traffic does not pass through Drayton.
The development will be connected to the electricity grid on site and so no new overhead cables will be required.
During construction, there may be some disturbance on some days. This won’t last long and we aim to keep it to a minimum. Before development, we will agree on restrictions on working hours.
A management plan will be agreed upon with the Council in advance, which will include details of how you can contact us in the event of a problem.
Click the image to enlarge, or download a high-res version here.
Glebe Solar Farm will have the capacity to export 18 megawatts of clean, renewable energy which will power the equivalent of over 8,500 households each year.
Solar power has become one of the most cost-effective energy sources available. Therefore, it will be built without public subsidies.
Solar farms take up a very small proportion of the land they occupy, leaving huge scope for biodiversity. Research has shown they improve the diversity and abundance of broad-leaved plants, grasses, butterflies, bumblebees and birds, including those with conservation status. Details of the enhancements we will provide can be found in the graphic, and we would welcome your comments on this.
Agricultural land will not be lost. Small livestock, such as sheep, can graze under and around the solar panels during operation. The reduction in intensive agriculture and chemical fertilisers should naturally improve the quality of the soils, leaving them in a better condition at the end of the life of the solar farm.
The rapid construction time provides faster access to renewable power and lowers the nation’s carbon footprint, without creating harmful emissions or noise outside of the solar farm.
Engaging with the community is important to us and we welcome your feedback on our proposals, along with any suggestions you might have to improve them. You can do this by filling out our survey here.
We will use your feedback to improve the development before submitting a planning application to Broadland District Council, who will in turn carry out a public consultation.
It takes the council approximately 13 weeks for the Council to decide on the application. If approved, further design and management details usually need to be agreed upon before we can start building, such as construction management and ecological management plans.
PACE will then construct the solar farm. Most deliveries are completed in the first six weeks of a construction period that usually lasts around 20-25 weeks.
We have commissioned a comprehensive set of surveys to help determine the site area and layout, so that impacts on residents can be minimised, and to identify opportunities for improving the proposals.
The surveys include:
We welcome you to take our short survey here. Alternatively, you can email us at communityrelations@glebesolar.co.uk or give us a call on 0800 3777 348 and we can arrange for someone to call you back.