LAVANT farmland will soon be home to the next source of renewable energy, after plans for a solar farm were passed on Monday.
However, during the consultation process, plans for the 68,676-module park were drastically altered, with designer Brilliant Harvest Installations opting to axe one of the proposed sites.
The first site, a 12.4-hectare field at Lavant Quarry, Hunters Rest, has been subject to minor amendments, but will otherwise go ahead as planned. The site will house 44,052 solar photovoltaic cells, six single-storey transformer houses and one high-voltage switch.
The second, an 8.7-hectare field off West Stoke Road has now been dropped – possibly due to strong objections from English Heritage. As reported in last week’s Observer, English Heritage said the development would cause ‘substantial harm’ to the remains of the Devil’s Ditch monument which dates back to the first century AD.
James Kenny, archaeology officer at Chichester District Council, said: “The removal of field two enables proper conservation of the heritage assets in that vicinity and this is a positive result.”
The cable route between the fields has also been removed from the plans.
The application prompted mixed reaction from Lavant residents, but Lavant Parish Council opted to stay neutral.