According to Thrings ( a law firm) and Webb Paton (a rural and development land agent), the solar farm will be the be the "largest in the UK" upon completion in early 2014. Moreover, the farm will provide enough power to supply 10,000 homes, the parties said.
Thrings and WebbPaton, acting on behalf of the landowner, negotiated the lease of the land to developers INRG Solar. Thrings and WebbPaton have worked together on a number of large solar farm projects across Wiltshire and Oxfordshire over the last three years, including a 130-acre project in Castle Eaton and a 110-acre site in Calne.
According to Catherine Strickland, associate at Thrings, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire are prime areas for solar projects due to sunlight in the south of the country and access to the National Grid to feed in the energy produced. “The use of agricultural land for solar power is growing, as traditionally they are built on brownfield sites," she explained. "However, whether the site is brownfield or not, Thrings’s focus is to ensure landowners are protected and all the negotiated details are reflected in the agreed terms."
George Paton, partner at WebbPaton, believes renewables provide diversification for landowners looking to increase the value of their asset while achieving a higher return per acre.