The Crays Hall Solar Farm was granted permission at appeal on the 30 August 2023 after a hearing at Basildon Borough Council. The scheme will assist the Council in itsquest to target borough wide net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The scheme will increase the proportion of locally produced renewable energy – aiding the Council in their aims to deliver locally produced renewable energy from a baseline of 5% – to 90% by 2050.
The scheme was previously rejected at planning committee on the potential effect on the openness of the Metropolitan Green Belt, the effect on landscape character and visual amenity and whether any harm was clearly outweighed by other considerations. However, in reaching his decision, the Inspector attributes weight to the substantial environmental and biodiversity benefits of the scheme and the lack of suitable sites in Basildon. The annual generation output would meet the electrical needs of +12,500 family homes whilst offsetting 13,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The landscaping and land management proposals would also deliver 94% biodiversity net gain (BNG) for area-based habitats and 53% gain for linear habitats (hedgerows) – this BNG far exceeds any expectation in local or national policy. Furthermore, significant positive weight has been afforded to continued agricultural use for grazing and a limited degree of harm to the landscape character with proposed planting measures and the protection of Public Rights of Way.
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Mark Hogan, Founder of Boom Power, said: "It is a very welcome appeal decision which reinforces the team’s dedication to ensure all our projects are sympathetic to the natural landscape and deliver real, crucial benefits. Crays Hall is an important project in our pipeline, and we expect it to play an equally important role in supporting the strategic vision for rapid decarbonisation to build climate resilience. I am proud of what we have achieved and look forward to getting the construction underway in the first half of next year."
