Proposed solar farm on land north of Marsh Road, Burnham on Crouch

The proposal covers 40 hectares of lower quality agricultural land to the east of Burnham on Crouch, north of Marsh Road.

It is proposed to create a solar farm which will generate the equivalent amount of electricity used by 6,600 homes in a year. Alongside the solar farm, a battery energy storage system (BESS) will provide capacity to store up to 42 MWh of electricity so it can be fed into the grid when it is needed, not just when it is generated.

Meadow grassland and solar arrays will cover 31 hectares of the site and the BESS and substation will cover 0.6 hectares. The balance of the site (8.8 hectares) will be used to establish tussocky grassland and woodland and scrub habitats and hedgerows will be enhanced to species rich native hedgerow. Once constructed the site will be managed in a way to maximise the benefits to plants and wildlife meaning our proposal will deliver a considerable biodiversity gain. The scheme will also assist Maldon District in delivering on its ‘Show Nature We Care’ pledge and help towards it pledge to deliver climate resilience.

Planning permission will be sought for a period of 40 years, after which the site will be reinstated to its current agricultural use.

Please click on the "View the draft application" tab to see the draft presentation boards, scheme plans and other relevant information.