Hastings council to consider investing £2.1million in solar farm sites in Crowhurst and Fairlight

Hastings Borough Council is considering building solar energy farms as part of a £2.1m investment project.

At a meeting next Monday (January 7), HDC leaders will be asked to consider whether to move ahead with a project to build solar farms at three sites in Crowhurst and Fairlight.

According to an officer’s report, the project would be expected to cost the council around £2.1m to build but would bring in somewhere between £165,000 to £430,000 extra income each year.

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It would also remove around 1,433 tons of carbon emissions annually, the report says.

The report said: “The revenue predictions are conservative, realistic and based on the actual performance of a similar facility at Tangmere Solar Farm [in West Sussex].

“The revenue potential is greater than this and can be determined during the next phase of the project through working with the council’s energy broker, LASER.

“Options for the use of energy will be presented in the detailed business case. Those options will include modelling predicted inflationary pressures on energy prices.”

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If given the go ahead by cabinet, the council would commission a number of studies looking at the details of the proposals. If approved, this would be expected to cost up to £80,400.

As part of this process, the council would begin pre-planning application consultations on the three potential sites.

According to the officer’s report, one of the sites being considered is on council-owned land at Upper Wilting Farm in Crowhurst. The other two would be located on land close to The Milking Parlour in Fairlight.

Once this process is completed, further details of the proposals would be expected to considered by council leaders later this year.

Huw Oxburgh , Local Democracy Reporting Service