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Hungerford Town Council objects to solar farm at Hungerford Park




A 12-acre solar farm on horse grazing fields in Hungerford Park is being proposed.

The applicant says it will power the cider processing plant on the estate, known as Cider Barns, and export to the local grid.

Solar panel cell
Solar panel cell

“Thus reducing carbon emissions associated with grid supplied electricity,” it says.

But Hungerford Town Council has objected to the installation of the 4,860 ground mounted photovoltaic panels as it does not believe a solar farm in that location, close to Hungerford’s environmentally-managed common, is appropriate.

It says the main accessible route proposed is one that had planning permission rejected in 2013 due to the dangerous junction on to the Inkpen Road.

“The junction has not been improved since then and Hungerford Park have increased usage of this route by the businesses that it permits to use its barns,” it adds.

“Neither route is suitable but the least problems for traffic, pedestrian safety and the least damage would be to travel from the A4, through Hungerford on the A338 up to the roundabout at the entrance to Kennedy Meadows and return into Hungerford to the small Park Street roundabout where a right turn is made.

“This allows long vehicles to make the turn on to Park Street with minimal hindrance from having to cross on to the opposite side of the road if this turn is attempted while heading south.

“The route then follows the proposed secondary access across Hungerford Common on to Hungerford Park land.”

And West Berkshire Council’s own environmental health officers raised a word of caution too.

“The complaints from residents about noise from that site have made me cautious of potential solar farm noise, though I am aware of other solar farms presence which have not caused complaint but I do not know enough about solar farm operations to confidently know which are ok or which would not be, without a noise assessment,” they say.

“If you are minded to grant consent without a noise impact assessment being submitted, we would recommend a noise limit condition which holds them to an acceptable noise limit and if found to cause complaints, we could pursue that for enforcement.”

But the applicant says the proposed solar array installation at Hungerford Park represents a paradigm shift in sustainable estate management.

“The project aligns seamlessly with national and local policy directives, delivering substantial environmental benefits while preserving the site’s ecological and visual integrity,” it says.

“By synergising renewable energy production with habitat enhancement, this initiative establishes a replicable model for future developments.

“The project’s thoughtful design minimises environmental impact, while its commitment to long-term ecological stewardship.”

The application, marked for approval by officers, will be decided by West Berkshire Council’s western area planning committee next week (Wednesday).



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