Elements Green has released the summary of the first phase consultation for its 800MW Great North Road Solar Park project in the UK. The Phase One Consultation Summary Report provides an overview of feedback from the community near the project, which is being developed near Newark in the East Midlands.
Elements Green stated that this feedback will be instrumental in shaping proposals that respect the views and recommendations of local communities. The report also highlights additional opportunities for the community and interested parties to comment on the updated proposals.
Mark Noone, Head of UK Development at Elements Green, emphasized the importance of community feedback. “The feedback we received during the first phase of consultation has helped our team to improve our understanding of the local environment and the aspects of Great North Road Solar Park that local communities considered most important for us to prioritize as we further develop our proposals,” Noone said. “We have already made changes to the scheme, and in March, we published early visual amenity changes to the design. In most cases, this involved the panels being removed, and in one case, a substation has been relocated.”
Noone added, “This initial change was achieved through the valuable input of the community. Continued engagement with members of the local community, as well as with key organizations and stakeholders, is crucial to this process, and we look forward to further keeping our commitment to meaningful communication throughout the development of our proposals.”
Following the development of more detailed proposals, Elements Green will conduct a second stage of community consultation. This statutory stage is intended to give local communities the opportunity to comment on updated proposals and see how they have evolved since the initial consultation. This second stage is expected towards the end of 2024 and will focus on the location of equipment for the solar and energy park and the cable connection between the solar energy park and Staythorpe substation.
Ahead of the second stage of consultation, Elements Green will undertake further environmental assessments and publish a Preliminary Environmental Information Report, anticipated for Autumn of this year.
