FAQs

In addition to supporting the UK on a national level by creating low-cost, renewable energy, we believe those communities closest to the proposed development should benefit from it – with these communities being best placed to recommend what they believe a ‘community benefit’ should be. 

Subject to consent being granted, Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park would offer a community benefit package – known as NG+ which has the potential to make available around £1 million per annum to support local causes. This would be in addition to, and separate from, payment of estimated £1.5m – £3m business rates to the local authority when the project becomes operational, contributing to the provision of local services. 

We are committed to working with local communities to identify and define community benefits. In addition to direct local job creation during construction and operation, we will be working with local schools, colleges and educational establishments to help create career opportunities and apprenticeships. 

To continue in our efforts to identify and define community benefits, we are keen to hear your suggestions on local schemes and projects we could support or deliver to benefit those communities closest to the project during our Second Phase of (Statutory) Consultation. You can do this by filling in our online feedback here, by sending an email to info@gnrsolarpark.co.uk, filling in a feedback form at one of our in-person events, or by printing off a hardcopy of the feedback form and sending it to FREEPOST GNR SOLAR (you do not need a stamp).  

Suggestions may include:  

• Local environment – Supporting projects to enhance woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and hedgerows, to ensure species protection and foster ecological balance, and develop a flood alleviation strategy to tackle pre-existing flooding. 

• Employment and education – Collaborating with local educational organisations through education programmes, school visits and apprenticeships to re-skill the local workforce. 

• Wellbeing – Enhancing local amenities, such as creating new picnic and play areas, and linking new and existing footpaths. 

• Food security – Looking at projects to tackle food poverty by supporting targeted distribution programmes and work to reduce food waste. 

• Energy efficiency – Offering grants for energy-related home improvements such as insulation, solar panels and heat pumps. 

More information on the NG+ Community Benefit Scheme can be found via this link https://ngplus.uk/

Yes. In the event of the proposed development being consented, existing public rights of way would remain open. While we may need to temporarily close some paths during construction for safety reasons, we are committed to ensuring public access is maintained across the site.

Our updated proposals, which we are currently consulting on, include several updates to the design of the park which include enhancements to recreational spaces, such as:

• New permissive pathways and cycling routes: The new paths will connect with existing routes. Certain new paths are designed for horse riding and cycling and are landscaped where suitable.

• Incorporating a large new community orchard, to support health and well-being

• Funding from our NG+ community benefit scheme will be directed towards local recreational projects, such as community gardens, allotments and outdoor fitness

After the commencement of our Second Phase of Consultation, we will:

• Finalise the footpath designs in line with community feedback

• Continue to work closely with local councils, recreational organisations and community groups

• Establish maintenance plans to keep these recreational spaces safe and clean

We welcome any suggestions for additional accesses we could incorporate into the project design as we continue to refine our proposals. You can do this by filling in our online feedback here, by sending an email to info@gnrsolarpark.co.uk, filling in a feedback form at one of our in-person events, or by printing off a hardcopy of the feedback form and sending it to FREEPOST GNR SOLAR (you do not need a stamp).

Ground-mounted solar projects can deliver major benefits to the environment. Solar farms can deliver significant benefits for the local environment and support a range of ecosystem services, such as generating new habitats, supporting sustainable agriculture, and reducing carbon emissions. 

The solar PV panels themselves are set on posts, so there is minimal disturbance to the ground. This means the land underneath and between the panels is available to implement measures that actively improve the environment and can provide a range of ecological benefits to support new and existing plant and animal life. 

The importance of these benefits is now recognised by law, whereby under the 2021 Environment Act, all new developments in England which require planning consent must demonstrate a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) of at least 10 per cent. 

Biodiversity Steering Group 

Elements Green has established a Biodiversity Steering Group (BSG), with respected conservation partners, including the RSPB, Sherwood Forest Trust, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Trent Rivers Trust. The key commitments of the BSG are: 

• Increasing the diversity of habitats to support birds, insects, pollinators and small mammals, helping deliver a Biodiversity Net Gain across the site.  

• Enhancing habitat quality through active management to improve ecological value  

• Planting over 5,000 native trees, 46 km of new hedgerows and 850 acres of native wildflower meadows, grasslands and wetlands  

• Establishing wildlife corridors to reduce habitat fragmentation  

We will continue to engage with our partners through further BSG design meetings to refine the details of the biodiversity enhancement areas, as well as considering feedback received from the Second Phase of (Statutory) consultation.  

We understand that there are concerns about the loss of agricultural land to solar development. However, only 0.08 per cent of land in the UK is currently taken up by solar and if the UK were to achieve the Government's stated ambition of increasing the nation’s solar capacity fivefold to 70GW by 2035 analysis indicates solar developments would account for approximately 0.4-0.6 per cent of UK land.¹ 

Solar parks can be beneficial to local agriculture. As well as providing a valuable source of income to local farmers to support their livelihoods, the land that is used for the panels cannot be cultivated intensively while the solar park is operating, so it can support sustainable farming by allowing grazing or native apiaries on land underneath and between panels.   

For land that has been intensively farmed, the installation of a solar park also enables the ground underneath to recover. This allows the soil quality to improve over the lifespan of the project, when the land is returned to its original use, to continue to support agriculture for future generations.  

In addition, no tenant farms will be displaced as a result of this scheme. 

Our key commitments include: 

• Avoiding siting the scheme on the Highest Grade Land based on data provided by Natural England  

• Collaborating with local farmers for Dual Land Use and incorporating sheep grazing under and around the solar PV arrays 

• Removing intensive farming, which eliminates nitrates and phosphates from the land, supporting soil health, biodiversity and improving water quality  

Additionally, the decommissioning bond, which we will adhere to if the project receives Development Consent, guarantees funding for the removal of equipment after the 40 years of operation.

¹ Solar Energy UK Briefing, Everything Under the Sun – the Facts about Solar Energy