Somerset-based British Solar Renewables has announced that it has secured planning permission for a 20MW solar park in Dorset.

The proposed solar development will be sited on land attached to a waste management and recycling facility close to Bournemouth International Airport in Parley.  

The 49-hectare site is surrounded by established woodland and hedges which provide natural screening. British Solar Renewables will also plant native hedgerow to further minimise the visual impact of the site as well as encourage on-site biodiversity.

Commenting on the project, Angus Macdonald, managing director at British Renewables said: “We are very thrilled to have received approval for this project. Not only does it offer an opportunity to generate significant clean energy for the area, but also to balance this with encouraging biodiversity.”

British Renewables estimates that, when the project is complete, it will provide enough clean energy to power 5,000 local homes every year.