Little South Solar Farm

About Little South Solar Farm

Little South Solar Farm is a proposal for a new 49MW solar farm to the south west of Richborough, Sandwich. Once operational it will generate renewable electricity equivalent to meet the needs of over 15,000 homes. It will support the decarbonisation of the local area and contribute to the Government’s target of 70GW solar generation capacity by 2035.

We submitted a planning application for these plans to Dover District Council in December 2023. Read more about the plans. 

Download the full Little South Solar Farm map (PDF).

Overview

Following feedback to the planning application, we have undertaken additional work to address concerns raised.

The following information has been submitted to Dover District Council and demonstrates that:

• Biodiversity in the Ash Levels will be enhanced – we will restore 55 hectares of arable land to flood plain grazing marsh (an important habitat for the Ash Levels and Richborough Pasture Local Wildlife Site) including a 16ha nature recovery area outside of the development.
• Heritage impact will be low – Extensive archaeological investigations were carried out during the summer of 2024 which demonstrated, unequivocally, that no Roman road ever crossed the Site. The area earmarked for solar development will be nearly 0.6km from the remains of the Roman amphitheatre and more than 1km from the remains of the Roman Fort at Richborough (roughly the same distance as the solar farm that has already been granted planning permission located off Ramsgate Road, to the north of the Roman Fort).
• No loss of Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land – the Site is Grade 3b agricultural land and, despite best efforts of the farmers to improve the land, it still doesn’t produce reliable crop yields.
• Construction Traffic will be managed sensitively to minimise impact on local roads – a temporary access track will be built to make sure that construction traffic will minimise the section of Cooper Street Drove used to access the Site. Vehicles will also deliver materials outside of peak traffic times and staff will be stationed along the section of road into the site to avoid construction vehicles meeting oncoming local traffic. The construction period will take up to 9 months, after which only occasional 4x4 maintenance vehicles will need to visit the site.
• No increase in flood risk – there are gaps between all of the panels allowing rain water to drip through multiple places within the arrays rather concentrated at the ends of the panels.  The conversion of arable land to grassland will also absorb water as it drips off the edges of panels meaning that it will reduce the rates of surface water runoff.
• It is a light-touch, temporary and reversible form of development – solar farms are entirely reversible forms of development that return to land back to greenfield status once decommissioned.  The framework legs for the solar panels are driven directly into the ground without the need to use concrete. This means that they can been pulled out at the end of the project lifetime, without leaving behind materials below ground level. The internal tracks are laid on matting so that they can be removed and the land fully restored once they are no longer needed.
• Solar Farms are a clean, reliable source of energy -  solar farms are essential to help the UK build a more stable, reliable and secure energy supply network.  They can be swiftly deployed and quietly generate electricity for homes and businesses with very little operational maintenance. At the end of it’s life 99% of the materials used in the panels, frames, tracks and cables etc will be recycled or reused. Because of this and the fact that a solar farm only requires solar energy (direct or indirect) to generate electricity it is one of the least waste generating forms of energy supply.

Unlike many other forms of development, the solar farm will also generate a Community Benefit Fund of more than £700,000 over its operational lifetime. This will be available to local community projects chosen with full involvement of the parish council and other local community groups.

Additional information

More information can be found below:

• Key planning documents
• Community Benefit Fund
• Archaeological Investigations 
• Biodiversity enhancements
• Why Little South Solar Farm should be supported