The Proposal

How does the solar farm work?

Solar panels are a grid of photovoltaic (PV) cells that convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

In a solar panel, these PV cells are sandwiched between layers of a semi-conducting material – often silicone. When the sun’s photons hit the cells, their energy is transferred, creating an electric field – a phenomenon called the photoelectric effect.

The photoelectric effect produces Direct Current (DC) electricity, which is then passed through an inverter to convert it to the electricity that powers our homes – Alternating Current (AC).

What does the project consist of?

North Newton Solar is expected generate up to 30MW of electricity with a Battery Energy Storage System on-site to maximise land use efficiency on the 57 hectare site.

The facility will consist of:

The panels would be fixed to lightweight mounting frames at a 10–20 degree angle, tilted southwards to maximise sun exposure.
The panels will have a minimum ground clearance of 0.6m and a maximum height of 2.5m above ground.
Inverters and transformers to convert the generated electricity from DC to AC for export to the grid.
An on-site substation at the west of the site, including a control building and associated infrastructure.
Internal access tracks to enable operation and maintenance.

Will there be an impact on the site’s environment?

Ampyr is committed to maintaining and enhancing the environmental integrity of our host sites. We anticipate that the development at North Newton could create a Biodiversity Net Gain of 10% through environmental enhancements. We will undertake an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) which will identify opportunities to achieve this aim. We will consider prioritising options that benefit roosting and foraging bats, badgers and Great Crested Newts.

We will undertake a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), to be submitted to Somerset Council. EIAs are a detailed analysis of the site’s current condition and the potential impact of a development. The assessments are wide-ranging and cover ecology, heritage, landscape and visual, noise, traffic and transport, flood risk, glint and glare, arboriculture and agriculture. The outcome of these surveys informs the design of the project, and the EIA is submitted with the planning application.

The design includes a buffer zone between the panels and the surrounding hedgerows, trees, and Public Right of Ways.

Further ecological enhancements being considered include planting native flowers and infilling and enhancing the existing hedgerows with native species. The site will, as a minimum, achieve the legislative target of 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG).

How will the Public Right of Way be impacted?

The site is bounded by Public Right of Way BW 23/54 to the north and BW 23/44 to the south. BW 23/55 crosses the northwest of the site and BW 23/44 crosses the south east of the site. The design has incorporated buffer zones around all Public Right of Ways and it is envisioned that all can stay open and useable during the construction period. However, if recommended on a safety basis, sections of these routes may need to be temporarily re-directed or closed during parts of the construction period.

Through the consultation process, recommendations on how to improve accessibility of the impacted Public Right of Ways are welcomed. Installation of new kissing gates instead of stiles or improvements to amenity such as increased vegetation management and signage can be incorporated into the scheme design and planning application.

How will the solar panels be screened?

Much of the site is screened by dense, mature hedgerows which will remain in place, and any removal of hedgerows will be limited to access purposes. New vegetative screening will be introduced along the boundary of the site, in particular along the northern boundary and the Public Right of Ways buffer zones, with the aim to reduce visual impacts.

How will the local community benefit?

Ampyr is committed to ensuring that the community benefits from solar developments.
We would welcome your views on how we can work with the North Newton community and identify potential opportunities. Communities have previously benefitted from:

A Community Benefit Fund to support local projects, initiatives, or community cooperative electricity.
A Community Energy Co-operative, to enable locals to benefit from long-term savings from a local green source.

We also welcome opportunities to work with local businesses in the supply chain.

Please share any ideas or suggestions with us using our feedback form, via email at contact@ampyrsolareurope.com, or in person at our drop in event at North Newton Village Hall in North Newton, TA7 OBG on 8th September 2025, from 4pm to 7pm.

How long will the project take to develop?

We are currently carrying out surveys and assessments which will inform our proposal, alongside the feedback from community consultation. Following this, we aim to submit a planning application to Somerset Council later this year.

Once the planning application is submitted, Somerset Council will carry out a statutory consultation, where you will be able to comment further on the proposal, directly to the council. At this point, we will update the community on how your consultation feedback has influenced our proposal.

If the project is granted planning permission by Somerset Council, North Newton Solar Farm would take approximately 6 months to be constructed and have an operational lifespan of up to 40 years.

How will the solar farm connect to the grid?

A substation will be located in the west of the site, which will be connected to a pylon approximately 2km of the site. Currently the plans are to lay a cable within Maunsel Road and Petherton Road/North Newton Road, to connect to the pylon. The construction and laying of the cable is to be part of a separate planning application and does not form part of this application.