Drayton Manor Farm, Stratford upon Avon

Stansgate Planning prepared an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening of the proposal and it was determined that the development would be required to be assessed under the EIA Regulations.  Following a Scoping Assessment, an Environmental Statement (ES) was therefore prepared and submitted as part of the application. Stansgate Planning led on the production of the ES and prepared the non-technical summary (NTS). The ES included matters relating to socio-economics; transport & traffic; landscape & visual impact; noise impacts; ecology & nature conservation; geology, drainage & pollution control; and archaeology & cultural heritage, which had been scoped in.

Pre-application public consultation was undertaken by Stansgate Planning with an event held on site and advertised to local residents, interested parties and local Ward Councillors. Following submission comments were received both in objection (largely on landscape grounds) and in support of the proposal. However, all technical consultees confirmed no objection during the course of the application, save for a requirement to undertake archaeological works prior to commencement. The application was approved by Planning Committee in June 2015 and has subsequently been implemented.

Since then a further planning application was submitted for a solar farm located at a different part of Drayton Manor Farm. This application proposed a 32MW solar farm and 50MW of battery storage, with associated equipment and covering 40.25 hectares. This application was again considered to be EIA development and an ES was prepared and submitted. This ES was led by Stansgate Planning, who also drew all the plans.

No technical objections were received as all required information had been provided within the submission and the application was subsequently granted full permission.