THE SITE
THE SITE
The site extends to approximately 40 ha of farmland located at North Commonside Farm, between Houston Road and Greenock Road, in Inchinnan. The site is located wholly within the Renfrewshire Council administrative boundary.
Initial planning and design work has confirmed that the site is ideal for solar development, and the local electricity grid is suitable (something that is not the case in many areas of Scotland). The site is primarily agricultural in nature, comprising arable farmland with relatively flat lying fields. The flat topography of the site aids efficient construction and exposure to sunlight.
Hedgerows surround the fields where the solar panels are proposed to be located, and a cluster of trees are located along one of the north-western boundaries of the site. Two watercourses are present at the site; the Lin Burn and Wheel Burn. The hedgerows and trees located around the site will help the solar panels merge into the landscape.
The site is easy to access from the public road for construction, and has a good network of tracks. Our review of other potential environmental and planning matters has not indicated adverse effects are likely. There are opportunities to enhance ecology at the site through the proposed development.
The wider site context comprises a mix of primarily agricultural fields, commercial and industrial uses. Inchinnan Business Park is located approximately 400m to the south-east of the site, with Glasgow International Airport located beyond this. The settlement of Inchinnan is located beyond the site to the north-west.
The development team have worked closely with Scottish Power Energy Networks during the last year to review options for connecting to the electricity grid. The application process is at an advanced stage and the connection can be delivered.
Planning Policy Considerations
The site is not located within an environmentally sensitive area. There are no statutory environmental designations covering the site and there is no ancient woodland is located within or directly adjacent to the site boundary. There are two designated Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) located within the wider site context. These are located to the west of the site beyond the M8, and to the south of the site beyond Houston Road.
There are also no statutory designated sites present within the site boundary. The site is covered by the green belt designation in the Renfrewshire Council Local Development Plan 2 (2021) (‘the LDP2’). The LDP and associated New Development Supplementary Guidance (2022) states that renewable energy proposals are considered acceptable in principle in a green belt locations.
There is strong policy support for renewable energy development at a national and local level. The position statement for the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), published in November 2020, makes clear the Scottish Government’s intention to actively facilitate decarbonised electricity generation and distribution. Scotland’s Climate Change Act 2019 sets a target date for net-zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045. This ambitious target places added weight to existing low carbon policies within Development Plans.
The Renfrewshire Local Development Plan 2 promotes and supports development of renewable and low carbon energy generating technologies to help achieve the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets in relation to electricity and heat demand. The LDP2 supports renewable and low carbon energy development proposals in principle that contribute towards renewable energy generation targets.