Solar Farm on our Fairford Estate
Renewable energy project will reduce carbon and boost wildlife

Image supplied by Innova Renewables Development
Work starts next year (2025) installing solar panels on around 40 acres (19 hectares) of farmland alongside Welsh Way, on the Fairford Estate in Gloucestershire, as part of our continued efforts to boost green energy generation, and improve biodiversity.
In partnership with Innova Renewables Development a 13-megawatt solar farm is being created that will produce enough electricity to power approximately 2,700 homes and prevent around 2,000 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere every year. Planning permission for the project was granted in September by Cotswold District Council.
The scheme will also significantly increase biodiversity on the site, more than doubling the value of the land for wildlife with an estimated Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for habitat units of 115%. In addition, Innova is in process of agreeing a community benefit fund with Fairford Town Council, aimed at supporting local initiatives.
One key reason for the site being selected is the close proximity of a connection to the electricity grid, which is located on-site.
The relatively low-quality farmland – classified as Grade 3b and 4 – had been used for growing wheat. Once the solar farm is installed grass will grow beneath the panels, offering the potential to graze sheep.
The Ernest Cook Trust is leasing the land to Innova and sharing income with the tenant farmer, ensuring both the Trust and the tenant benefit from the arrangement.
Michael Birnie, our Property Director, said:
This is an exciting project for us. We’re using the least productive arable land which will go back to grass and the tenant will be able to graze it with sheep. We will measure the conservation status of the land now and will monitor it to see what the improvements are for nature over time. Overall, there will be a biodiversity net gain.
The site is already well screened. Additional planting is proposed to strengthen the existing field boundaries. The margins of the site, outside the fence line, will be suitable for wildflower seeding.
The development is an important part of the Trust’s efforts to improve the return it achieves on its land holdings, for the benefit of tenants, employees and the vital work it carries out as an educational charity.
Michael said:
We’re looking at growing our income - trying to do more - and we’ve got to think about different options for our land, while always taking care of the landscape, the environment and being sustainable. This scheme helps us to do that.
William Griffiths, Project Manager at Innova, said:
We are thrilled to announce that Welsh Way Solar Farm has received planning permission from Cotswold District Council. We are grateful to Cotswold District Council and their statutory consultees for their proactive engagement throughout the pre application and planning determination phases of the project. We look forward to the next stages of the project leading up to the project's construction and operation.
Creating the solar farm meets the priorities for the UK Government, which has committed to reaching net zero by 2050. In June 2019 Cotswold District Council declared a climate emergency and aims to make the district carbon neutral by 2030.
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