Dear Members and Supporters

We thought that you would be interested to hear the following news about the Bretton Hall Solar Farm, being developed by YnNi Newydd on the England Wales border. CCE directors Stephen Savory and John Carrier are also involved through membership of the YN board and joining the Project Board meetings.

Bretton Hall Solar Farm: Welsh minister gives the go-ahead for big community solar farm in Flintshire.

Julie James, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Climate Change today gave her approval for the development of a 15MW solar farm between Saltney and Broughton in Flintshire. This new planning consent means that the Welsh and English halves (consented earlier this year) of the proposed site can now be joined to form a 30MW solar farm.

The planning inspector at the department for Planning and Environment Decisions Wales had to decide if there are sufficient environmental, social and economic justifications to overcome the presumption against development in the Green Belt.

The planning inspector noted in the conclusion to his report that ‘In reaching my decision, I have taken into account the requirements of sections 3 and 5 of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. I consider that this decision is in accordance with the Act’s sustainable development principle through its contribution towards embedding our response to the climate and nature emergency in everything we do.’

What’s Next

Ynni Newydd will now be finalising its plans and securing investment for a first phase of construction, currently assumed to commence in 2025, when there will also be the opportunity to invest in this community owned project.

Our Thanks

The society has a volunteer board representing the coming together of community interests from both sides of the national boundary – Chester Community Energy Ltd, the Severn Wye Energy Agency, Ynni Teg Ltd and Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig (DEG).
YnNi Newydd is grateful for both local support – receiving numerous letters of support from the English and Welsh side and for public grant support received from both the Welsh and UK Governments and advice from government agencies, which has helped it to work through a long and detailed development process.

The project has received grant funding from the Welsh Government Energy Service, the Rural Community Energy Fund (established by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) and loans from the Development Bank For Wales and the Robert Owen Community Bank.