A COMPANY has resubmitted a planning application to Maldon District Council to construct a solar park on 33 hectares of land near Dengie.

BSR Energy has proposed the 19-megawatt Dengie Solar Park which would produce enough renewable energy to power approximately 4,750 homes in the UK.

That is projected to save 4,208 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The proposed project site is located on land south of Keelings Road, Dengie.

After originally submitting the application in April 2023, Maldon District Council refused the plans in July.

Having considered the council’s feedback, BSR has now updated its planning application ahead of resubmission.

The company is behind projects currently providing more than 600,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually across the UK.

Altogether, these projects have avoided more than 140,000 tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere while powering an average of 159,000 UK homes with renewable energy every year.

Government guidance now requires developments to have a minimum 10 per cent 'biodiversity net gain’ (BNG) to help deliver nature-friendly developments of the future. 

BSR Energy says it is already committed to achieving 60 per cent BNG across its UK solar parks, through initiatives such as bird and bat boxes, wildflower planting and hedgerows.

Carla Hardaker, development director at BSR, said: “Although the initial refusal for planning consent was disappointing, we believe we are bringing forward a well-designed project which will have an overall positive impact on the local landscape and ecology. 

“Additionally, Dengie Solar Park will aid Maldon District Council in addressing the climate emergency it declared in February 2021 and in achieving its aim of becoming a carbon neutral district by 2030.”

If the project is granted consent, is it expected that construction will start in early 2025 and taker about six months before the solar park becomes operational.

The UK Government has set a target of reducing emissions by 78 per cent by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. 

For more information on Dengie Solar Park, visit the project website at britishrenewables.com/projects/dengie-solar-park.