Feedback from consulation on new solar energy park near Gainsborough will be used to update plans

Low Carbon’s Gate Burton Energy Park has the potential to generate around 500 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity – enough clean energy to power over 160,000 homes and avoid more than 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.

Having held an initial consultation earlier this year on emerging proposals for the project, Low Carbon continued to shape and refine its plans, taking into consideration all of the feedback received.

These updated proposals were then presented during a second consultation to give people living and working in the area the opportunity to continue to inform and influence the project development process.

Mike Rutgers, development director at Low Carbon, said: “We are really grateful to all the people who took the time to take part in this consultation and would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who came along to events to speak with the team and provide us with their views on our proposals.

“Over the course of this consultation we’ve had some really constructive discussions and welcome the insight those conversations and subsequent feedback submitted to the consultation have provided.

"Feedback to the consultation covers a range of issues regarding the scheme, and we’ve also received some fantastic suggestions for projects and initiatives to consider supporting to benefit those communities nearest the site.

"We do also acknowledge that solar development stirs up strong feeling and we will bear that in mind as we continue to finalise our proposals.

“We’ll continue to update local communities and stakeholders on the project development process over the coming months.

"Now the consultation has closed the team is now focused on reviewing all the feedback submitted, alongside the fin dings from ongoing technical studies and environmental surveys, to help shape and refine the details of the scheme we set out in the application for development consent we anticipate submit to the Planning Inspectorate by early 2023 at the latest.”