Planning for Carpenter’s Solar Farm

A Local Wildlife Site (LWS) was identified as being partially located within the boundary of the proposed development site. Due to the ecological sensitivity and importance of the designation, further detailed survey work was required to fully assess potential impacts. This included the completion of a comprehensive botanical survey to establish the presence, extent, and condition of notable plant species and habitats within the LWS.  

Arthian Ltd. was commissioned by Centrica to prepare the submission of a planning application for the construction and operation of a proposed 0.999MW solar farm development with associate infrastructure. The Application Site was 2.35ha and located within the administrative boundary of High Peak Borough Council. 

 Arthian worked as a multidisciplinary team to deliver the following outputs: 

• Planning Statement;  

• Design and Access Statement;  

• Landscape & Visual Appraisal;  

• Preliminary Ecological Appraisal;  

• Biodiversity Net Gain Report;  

• Phase 1 Contamination Risk Assessment Report;  

• Coal Mining Risk Assessment;  

• Geotechnical Desk Study Report;  

• Geotechnical Interpretive Report;  

• Exploratory Phase II Site Investigation Report;  

• Flood Risk & Drainage Assessment;  

• Noise Assessment;  

• Construction Environmental Management Plan;  

• Construction Traffic Management Plan;  

• Historic Environment Assessment; and  

• Tree Survey Report 

Particular care was taken in relation to the presence of the Local Wildlife Site (LWS), with the proposed landscape and ecological mitigation measures carefully designed to integrate sensitively within this area. This approach aimed not only to protect the existing ecological value of the LWS but also to enhance habitat connectivity and encourage increased biodiversity, rather than inadvertently constraining or degrading it. 

Our team coordinated and managed the entire planning process, overseeing a wide range of internal and external stakeholders and ensuring that all supporting technical documentation was prepared, reviewed, and submitted accurately and within the required timescales. All identified environmental, technical, and policy constraints were comprehensively considered and fully integrated into the site design and overall planning strategy. 

As a result of this structured and collaborative approach, planning permission for the solar farm was successfully secured in March 2025.