Acquisition underlines commitment to sustainable development
Eastleigh Borough Council has extended its solar power generating portfolio with the acquisition of a 6.3 megawatt solar farm at the heart of the exciting One Horton Heath (OHH) community.The solar park, which produces around six million kilowatt hours of power per year, is at Chalcroft Farm, Burnetts Lane, a key part of the OHH development. Developed and built in 2013 by Solarcentury, one of the UK’s most experienced solar energy companies, the site hosts more than 25,600 photovoltaic panels covering around 34 acres of land. The Council secured the acquisition of Chalcroft Solar Park Ltd from Viners Ltd, and the related freehold of the land from Chalcroft Farm Partners.
The move underlines the Council’s commitment to delivering an environmentally sustainable development with no reliance on fossil fuels. The authority already owns and operates smaller scale solar generating assets around the Borough.
The Borough Council is both landowner and developer of One Horton Heath, now a 355-acre sustainable mixed-use scheme, currently under construction on the eastern side of Eastleigh Borough. From the outset, the development’s project brief stated that OHH would be “proactively planned to minimise the impact of the development on the existing community and environment during construction and throughout its lifetime…creating a neighbourhood which supports green and sustainable lifestyles for all”.
A minimum of 35% of the homes at One Horton Heath will be affordable. The site will also include major new roads footways and cycleways, significant new green infrastructure and public open space, new community facilities, a three-form primary school and commercial centre.
Councillor Keith House, Leader or Eastleigh Borough Council, said: “Sustainability and innovation are at the heart of our ambitions for One Horton Heath and this acquisition underlines our commitment to tackle the climate and environment emergency and promote a carbon neutral Borough by 2030.”