Mac Mic Group secures planning permission in record time from Renfrewshire Council for construction of solar park
The proposed development will be capable of generating up to 14.3 megawatts of clean energy, which can be fed back into the electricity grid. When completed, the park will generate enough electricity to meet the annual needs of over 5,000 properties.
Bruce Hampton, Senior Land Manager at Mac Mic Group, said: “We are delighted that Renfrewshire Council has approved the development of this new solar power project. Their Planning and Climate Change Policy Board commented that the standard of development proposed will be the benchmark for future applications in Renfrewhire. This is an excellent example of how we can add value by developing land in innovative ways that provide a strong public benefit.”
The development, which will be situated between Greenock Road and Houston Road, has been designed to minimise any impact on the local landscape. Hedgerows and trees currently surround the site and these will provide screening and an attractive boundary. In addition, the solar panels will be fixed to low-lying mounting frames in order to further minimise their visual impact.
The development also takes account of local biodiversity. The rows of solar panels and spaces between them will only occupy 51% of the total site area. This layout has been adopted in order to prevent too much shading of the ground and to help improve local ecology.
Andrew Mickel, Director at Mac Mic Group said: “This new development highlights our ability to diversify beyond traditional development activity and find new sustainable uses for land that give back to society.
“Being a zero-carbon development, it will contribute significantly towards the Government’s target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. When operating at full capacity as a replacement for electricity generation by fossil fuels it avoids the release of up to 2,684 kg of CO2 per hour. This equates to a reduction of 2,821 tonnes of CO2 over the year.
“We hope that this success can be replicated on other sites and are actively looking at other opportunities in our land portfolio.”
Construction will start later this year and is expected to take around six months. Although there will initially be some additional site traffic during the construction phase, the operational phase will create minimal additional traffic with only one or two vehicle trips a month required for maintenance.
Further information about the development can be found at https://inchinnansolarpark.co.uk/.