A PROPOSED 200 acre solar farm near Kilwinning has reached the next stage of its development, after a public consultation was held this week.

Locals were invited to the Erskine Hall on Wednesday, September 28, to discuss the proposed development near Benthead Farm on the B778 between Lylestone and Auchentiber.

The site would be approximately the equivalent of 100 standard football pitches, though developers Locogen say "most of the site will be naturally screened from public roads".

While much of the planning process has already been carried out, no formal application has yet been submitted to North Ayrshire Council, though this is expected within the next few weeks.

The current stages of the development are being undertaken by Locogen, an Edinburgh based company with "extensive experience in developing, constructing and operating ground-mounted solar farms".

Once operational, the solar farm would generate an estimated 90GWh of energy per year - the equivalent to the demand of 30,750 average UK homes.

This is enough power to generate electricity to power approximately half of North Ayrshire, which in 2020 had 64,415 homes, according to National Records Scotland (NRS).

To date, a vast majority of the required pre-application work has already been carried out - this includes a number of environmental and roads assessments. However, Locogen have already been advised that a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would not be required for the site.

The community consultation held on Wednesday is the last stage of development to be completed prior to the formal planning submission.

We were informed from one local who attended this consultation that discussions "got very heated" and that the development has "enraged our local community".

They commented: "The pleasure of living in a rural area is looking at our beautiful countryside.

"There is a proposal to build a solar farm in our community of which all the local residents are opposed to. There are a number of elderly residents that this is effecting already and the project has not even started you.

"We all understand the need for greener energy but not on our doorstep where it affects our views of the countryside.

"We want this project stopped in its track and moved to somewhere more suitable and less disruptive."

While this application will be submitted to North Ayrshire Council, the final decision on approval will lie with the Scottish Government.

Feedback will not, however, be limited to this consultation, and the public can still provide informal comments once the application is live on the council's online planning portal.

Proposed timescales provided by Locogen have construction of the solar farm commencing in 2024 and taking place for 12 months before the site would be commissioned in 2025.

It is in this construction stage that it is expected this proposed development would bring most jobs to the area, with a handful also to be made available upon the sites opening.

Locogen were unable to confirm an exact number of jobs which would be created, though say this will be included in their formal application. They also said they are keen to hire locally wherever possible.

Once operational, the lifespan of the Benthead solar farm is expected to be 40 years, before it would then be decommissioned and the site would be restored.

A number of 'local impact mitigation' measures have also been considered for the site - which include restricting noise, visual and transport impacts on the local area.

Full details of the development as it stands, and an online survey form on this, can be found online at locogen.com/benthead-solar-project/.