Welcome
Thank you for taking the time to visit our consultation website. We are excited about our plans and are delighted to share more information with you.
RNA Energy is bringing forward plans for a new solar project at Pent Farm in Postling, Hythe.
The site sits within the Kent Downs Area of Natural Beauty (AONB). There was an error on the website that stated only a small section of the site sits within the AONB. This has been rectified on the website and consultation materials and we apologise for any confusion caused.
You can learn more about our plans through the information here on our website and through our virtual exhibition.
Our public consultation on the proposals will run from Friday 2nd December until Monday 19th December. You can submit your comments by completing our feedback form or using one of the methods listed on the contact us section.
Please ensure your comments are submitted by Monday 19th December to ensure that these can be taken into consideration.
Public Exhibition
We will also hosting a public exhibition of our proposals. You can learn more about the plans and speak to members of the project team at the event.
It will be held at Postling Village Hall, on Friday 16th December between 4:30pm and 8pm.
About RNA Energy
RNA Energy is on a mission to develop and build a portfolio of solar and storage projects to power the UK with cheap, clean, and reliable energy.
The RNA Energy team is highly experienced and passionate about building the clean energy infrastructure needed for a net zero future.
The sites are focused in the south-east to maximise energy yield and have been chosen to minimise grid connection costs by ensuring they are in close proximity to connection points. Where possible, sites will incorporate battery energy storage to enable energy to be delivered to the grid when it’s needed most – during peak times. This avoids solar energy flooding the network when demand is low and clean energy being curtailed.
As an experienced project developer, we specialise in engaging with landowners and working with them to deliver projects that work for all parties.
The Site
The site comprises approximately 22 ha of land at Pent Farm in Postling, just to the north of the M20 and to the north east of Stanford. It would comprise photovoltaic (PV) solar panels up to 3m high, with associated support frames and cabling, inverter & transformer stations, battery storage containers, control buildings, switchgear building, storage buildings, access tracks, security fencing, CCTV security cameras and supports, and a cable connection to the new substation.
An important factor in the delivery of renewable energy is the proximity of any site to the electricity distribution network. The greater the distance from this network, the less viable a scheme. The connection point for this project is adjacent to the site which will minimise disruption to the community and also losses in the transport of electricity. This makes the site at Pent Farm ideal for this type of project.
The project will be capable of exporting up to 18MW of electricity to the national grid, providing enough renewable energy to supply approximately 3,800 homes.
The site will be accessed through a dedicated route off B2068 Stone Street.
Our plans also put biodiversity at its heart, and we have ambitions to create substantial hedgerows and wilder grassland areas around the perimeter of the site. This will provide a huge boost to local pollinator, bird and small mammal (mice, vole, hedgehog and bat) populations due to the increased habitat connectivity and additional food sources.
As solar panels only take up a proportion of the land, solar projects can co-exist with livestock. This provides landowners the opportunity to produce clean energy and manage the site as agricultural land through grazing livestock.
The Proposals
Here is a summary of what our plans include:
- 22 hectares (ha), with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels
- Solar panels at 3m high
- Associated support frames and cabling
- Inverter & transformer stations
- Battery storage containers
- Control buildings, switchgear building and storage buildings
- Access tracks
- Security fencing and CCTV security cameras
- A cable connection to the new substation
Masterplan
Benefits
The proposals set out above will bring many benefits, such as helping the UK address its climate change obligations, boosting the local economy and increasing biodiversity.
A low-cost renewable energy source
Solar energy is the cheapest form of electricity generation in history. Therefore, delivering more solar energy projects will help bring down energy prices at a time when consumer costs are soaring. Our plans for Pent Farm will contribute towards our energy security needs and help to deliver stable energy prices that are independent of international fossil fuel markets.
Meeting net zero
Our world and the UK are seeing the crippling effects of climate change and the time for action to move away from fossil fuels has never been more critical. Our plans for a new solar project at Pent Farm will provide a clean renewable energy source that will help meet important Net Zero targets.
Increasing biodiversity and environmental net gain
Our plans for Pent Farm include measures to increase biodiversity in the area by creating diverse habitats for the local wildlife to flourish. The nature of solar projects allows wildflowers and hedgerows to be grown throughout the site, which encourages local birds, insects and small mammals to move in alongside the solar panels.
Community benefits
The local economy will see a boost as a result of the increased employment opportunities which will arise from both the construction and operation of the site. Pent Farm will also provide a stable, secure and low-cost energy supply to the UK. Reducing energy costs and providing a secure energy supply will bring numerous benefits for the wider UK economy.
Considerations
Biodiversity & Ecology
Increasing biodiversity and promoting ecology are at core of our plans for a new solar project at Pent Farm.
As well as delivering a clean energy source, the proposals include substantial measures to plant more hedgerows, trees and wild grassland at the perimeter of the site. This will provide ample space for local species to thrive by creating more habitat connectivity and food sources on site.
Our plans will see local pollinator, bird and small mammal (mice, vole, hedgehog and bat) populations increase.
RNA Energy will further provide a full Environment Impact Assessment as part of the suite of material submitted to Folkestone & Hythe District Council.
Visual Amenity
Solar farms are of a low height, such that they are often not as widely visible as typical residential or employment land uses, or other forms of renewable energy such as wind turbines.
The proposed development will affect views at a local level from around the site boundary, and from some nearby footpaths. In the long-term, the impact on some of these views will reduce as our proposed hedgerow and woodland belt improvements establish and reach a height where they ‘screen’ the proposed development.
Noise
We have designed our solar project to minimise noise impacts on local residents.
With solar farms, the solar panels themselves do not produce any noticeable noise, it is the inverters and transformers which can produce a low hum when in operation. Our solar farm proposes to use modern string inverters and ‘smart’ transformers which have a very minimal noise impact.
We have undertaken baseline noise monitoring in the area, and when modelling the predicted noise of the proposed development against the current sound levels there will not be any significant noise impacts to local residents.
Agricultural Use
As solar panels only take up a proportion of the land, solar projects can co-exist with livestock. This provides landowners the opportunity to produce clean energy and manage the site as agricultural land through grazing livestock.
Public Rights of Way
The site is crossed by one public footpath that follows its southern boundary.
This public footpath sits outside of the development fenceline and will be kept open throughout the construction period and once the proposed scheme is operational. The footpath will be enhanced by improving the signage and surface as it passes through the site and will be set within areas of planting similar to the existing footpaths to its south to provide a degree of visual screening of the solar arrays.
Access and Traffic
The proposed project will result in an increase in traffic during the construction period, which is expected to last around 30 weeks. The most intense period of deliveries would be the first 4-6 weeks, after which the construction traffic numbers would reduce. All construction traffic would access the site from the M20 Junction 11 via the B2068, with access into the site direct from the B2068. No construction traffic would be routed through either Stanford village, Postling village, or the AONB to the north.
Once operational there is no permanent on-site workforce and as such there will be no perceptible long-term increase in traffic numbers along the B2068. Access to the site will be required periodically for the purposes of farming, landscape and ecological maintenance, and equipment maintenance. These visits will be infrequent and therefore not have an impact on local traffic.
Area of Natural Beauty (AONB)
The site sits inside the Kent Downs AONB. This means RNA Energy has undertaken an Environmental Statement to demonstrate that the proposed solar project will not have any significant adverse impact of the wider landscape quality.
RNA Energy has been through a site selection exercise along with local landowners to determine the best location for a solar development to connect into the existing Stanford Electricity Substation which adjoins the southern boundary of the chosen site. The Stanford Electricity Substation has available capacity to export renewable electricity generated by the proposed scheme, and in the current energy and cost of living crisis it is important that all parts of the National Grid that do have capacity to accept renewable energy are taken forward to deliver on our Energy Security and Net Zero aspirations.
The chosen site is strategically located adjacent to the Stanford Electricity Substation which limits the environmental impact and disruption of any grid connection through either the AONB or the local landscape. In addition the site is well-located such that it will have a limited or no visual impact on properties in the nearby villages of Stanford and Postling, and is not prominent in local footpaths around either village.
The North Downs Way National Trail follows the escarpment to the north of the site and is a key footpath that people walk to experience views south across the district towards the Romney Marshes and the English Channel. The site has been chosen because in views from the North Downs Way, it benefits from a good level of screening from the existing topography and vegetation patterns, such that it is not visible from the Farthing Common viewpoint or the closest parts of the North Downs Way to the north of the site, but is seen in intermittent views from the north-east of the site as the footpath crosses high points that have a south-westerly aspect.
In these views, the site can be seen in the mid-ground or background of views below a line of existing high voltage pylons, and as such is not within an unspoilt part of the view. The separation between the site and the village of Postling ensures that the countryside around Postling can still be readily appreciated from the North Downs Way, and the proposed scheme would not significantly detract from views towards the church spire in Postling.
Virtual Exhibition
Facts about solar
No. Solar farms provide valuable income for UK farmers and can support them to continue food production on other parts of their land. Solar farms can also still be used for grazing and some developers are considering growing produce under or alongside solar panels.
For Pent Farm, the landowner will have the option to graze livestock on the land.
Absolutely. Solar works well everywhere in the UK as solar panels do not need direct sunlight to operate. Solar panels produce energy all year round and during sunny days can produce over a quarter of the UK’s power.
You absolutely can! In fact, up to 99% of materials in a solar panel are made from recyclable materials. Most solar panels are built to last for decades, meaning they do not need to be replaced regularly.
Not at all. Research shows a solar panel’s carbon payback is 1-4 years and that they generate a hundred times more energy than it takes to make them over a 40-year warranty period.
Solar is the cheapest way to produce energy, meaning our energy bills can drastically reduce by choosing solar.
No, they take up very little space. Even under 2050 Net Zero targets, solar farms would occupy 0.5% of the UK’s land, which is less land than is currently used for golf courses.
Absolutely! According to government surveys, solar is considered the most popular energy source. In 2021, data showed that 90% of the public supported it, with 81% saying they would not oppose a solar farm being built in their area.
Have Your Say
Thank you for taking the time to review our plans for Pent Farm. The consultation period closed on Monday 19th December 2022.
If you have any questions, you can still contact us by using the methods displayed in the ‘Contact Us’ section below.
Contact Us
Should you want any further information or have any questions, you can contact the team using the details below:
- Write to us at RNA Energy, Pent Farm Solar, c/o Lexington, Third Floor Queens House, Queen Street, Manchester, M2 5HT
- You can call our Community Information Line on 0333 358 0502 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm)
- You can email us at pentfarmsolar@havingyoursay.co.uk