Welcome
New Buildings Solar Farm Ltd. will shortly be bringing forward a proposal for a Solar Farm located on parcels of land located at New Buildings Farm, Hilderstone, Stone, ST15 8SL. The site lies to the north-east of the settlement of Stone and consists of small to medium sized agricultural fields. The proposed development will generate approximately 40 Megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy. This will make a vital contribution to climate change targets and the country’s transition away from fossil fuels.
Planning update: 2nd February 2024
Thank you to all those that submitted feedback during our public consultation. We are finalising our proposed plans and expect to submit our application in Spring 2024. Please check the website for further updates.
Public Consultation
A consultation leaflet was sent to residents in the area to notify them of the consultation which took place on Monday 9th October, at Draycott Church and Community Hall. During the consultation the team was on-hand to answer questions from the community and take part in the Parish Council meeting that evening. If you wish to view the information boards presented at the consultation or submit feedback, please email: info@newbuildingssolarfarm.co.uk. The deadline to submit feedback was Friday 27th October.
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The solar farm will be connected to the existing 132kV overhead line which passes near north-western part of the site, close to the New Buildings Farm and Boarding Kennels.
The site comprises twenty-three field parcels totalling approximately 83 hectares (ha) / 205 acres, mainly used as productive grassland and grazing. No agricultural land will be lost as the solar farm will be designed to allow livestock to graze under and around the panels during operation, providing a dual benefit of agriculture and energy generation.
New Buildings Solar Farm Ltd. take sustainability very seriously. The size of the site presents significant opportunities for biodiversity improvements, including creating new habitat for bats, breeding birds, and small mammals, and creating wildlife corridors for badgers and other animals to pass through the site. It should not be necessary to remove any trees or significant areas of hedgerow. These measures will significantly improve the biodiversity of the site compared with the existing fields.
Engaging with local communities is very important to us. We would like to hear your views on the proposal and how we could improve it.
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council have both declared climate emergencies. The former having done so on 10th July 2019 and the latter joining in August 2020. Both support the transition away from fossil fuels in its Local Plan.
New Buildings Solar Farm will be key to addressing these challenges will help serve the country’s future energy needs. It will have five main objectives:
- Support the UK’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the interim target of a 78% reduction by 2035.
- Contribute a solution to the climate emergency declared by Government, Staffordshire Moorlands, and East Staffordshire Councils.
- Help secure the country’s green energy system by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, that also contribute to reducing fuel poverty.
- Enable the continuation of agriculture during operation.
- Significantly increase the biodiversity of the site.