Huge new Wiltshire solar farm takes step forward

An underground cable connecting a huge solar farm in Wiltshire to a power supply has been approved.

Plans for the 200 acre (80 hectares) Forest Gate Solar Farm on land off the A4 near Chippenham were approved in 2023.

A new 2.6 mile (4.3km) cable linking the solar farm to the Chippenham substation was agreed on Thursday.

Eden Renewables, which put forward the application, said the majority of the cable route will follow existing infrastructure such as roads and footpaths.

The cable will be buried beneath the ground in a trench of approximately 1.6ft (0.5m) in width and up to 5ft (1.5m) deep, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Construction is expected to take 15 to 18 weeks, and it is unknown when it will start.

The original application proved divisive in the community, with the council receiving representations from 155 objectors and approximately 229 supporters.

In a covering letter, the applicant said: "Given the proposal's negligible impacts on heritage, arboriculture and ecology, and the lack of impact of landscape, the proposed development is in accordance with all relevant planning policy set out in adopted and emerging development plan documents; it should therefore be approved without delay."

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