I was appointed by the Chaldean Estate project team to lead and coordinate the planning and technical workstreams required to support a ground-mounted solar PV array at Great Notley Field, Much Hadham (East Herts). This included access, cabling, ecology and biodiversity net gain (BNG), and heritage due diligence to underpin the planning submission.

The proposal constitutes major development and therefore requires mandatory BNG, evidenced through the statutory biodiversity metric and secured via planning condition(s) and an associated habitat management and monitoring framework if consent is granted.

Project objectives

1. Secure planning consent for a ground-mounted solar PV array and associated infrastructure (access, cabling, ancillary equipment) within the agreed application boundary.

2. Deliver a scheme that is demonstrably policy-compliant and technically robust, with a coordinated planning evidence base (ecology/BNG, heritage, landscape/visual where required, drainage/FRA, highways/construction logistics, and any other consultee-led requirements).

3. Achieve Biodiversity Net Gain on-site (targeting a clear margin above the 10% statutory requirement), with a deliverable Biodiversity Gain Plan and a practical long-term habitat management approach.

4. Avoid or minimise ecological impacts through constraint-led layout design (set-backs from sensitive features, appropriate buffers, and mitigation measures that are proportionate and evidence-based).

5. Avoid or minimise heritage impacts by identifying sensitivities early, designing to reduce setting effects, and evidencing residual effects in a way that supports the planning balance.

6. Maintain farm and estate operational continuity by designing access, construction sequencing, and ongoing maintenance arrangements that are safe, practical, and minimise disruption.

7. Confirm grid connection feasibility and electrical design constraints sufficiently early to prevent abortive planning work and to ensure the proposed scheme is deliverable.

8. Resolve flood risk and surface water drainage matters to the satisfaction of the LLFA and LPA (including SuDS strategy where required), avoiding planning delay through early, complete submissions.

9. De-risk delivery by ensuring the scheme is buildable and maintainable (constructability, temporary works, ground conditions, cable routing, and operations and maintenance access).

10. Provide a clear project programme and decision trail so that design changes are controlled, consultee feedback is actioned efficiently, and the application progresses without avoidable rework.

The Chaldean Estate solar PV project will be implemented through a controlled, planning-led programme that integrates design development, technical assurance, and stakeholder engagement to achieve a consented, buildable, and environmentally positive scheme.

Implementation will begin with finalisation of the constraint-led layout and consolidation of the planning evidence base, ensuring that ecology, biodiversity net gain (BNG), heritage, drainage/flood risk, construction access and logistics, and grid feasibility are aligned and mutually consistent. The planning submission will be structured to present a clear audit trail from baseline surveys to design decisions, with mitigation and enhancement measures embedded into the scheme design rather than treated as post-consent add-ons.

Following determination, the project will move into a pre-construction phase to discharge planning conditions and translate commitments into deliverable construction information. This will include a detailed Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) covering ecological protection, pollution prevention, materials and waste management, working methods at sensitive boundaries, and supervision requirements, alongside a Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) where required. The BNG delivery will be secured via a Biodiversity Gain Plan and a habitat management and monitoring approach suitable for long-term implementation, with responsibilities, timings, and maintenance activities clearly defined.

Construction will be managed to minimise disruption to estate operations and to control environmental risk. Works will be sequenced to prioritise safe access, clear segregation of construction areas, and adherence to agreed buffers and protected zones. Installation activities will be supported by standard health and safety governance (risk assessments, method statements, inductions, and permitting where appropriate), with quality checks applied to civil works, mounting systems, cabling routes, and electrical installations. Grid connection interfaces will be managed in parallel to ensure the programme remains deliverable and that energisation activities are coordinated with the relevant network operator requirements.

Upon commissioning, the project will transition to an operational phase that includes routine inspections, performance monitoring, and ongoing management of the habitats established or enhanced as part of the BNG commitments. Monitoring results will be used to confirm that the intended ecological outcomes are being achieved and to inform any adaptive management required to maintain habitat condition over the agreed management period.

Clean local Energy

The solar farm will provide a long-term local source of low-carbon electricity that can be used to supply existing farm loads and also support future development across the holding, such as new agricultural buildings, processing facilities, workshops, or electrified plant and heating. Where export is available, generation can be routed through the local network to help meet demand in the surrounding area, reducing reliance on more distant generation and easing exposure to wholesale price volatility. For estates in particular, on-site renewable generation improves energy security by diversifying supply, reducing dependence on imported energy, and creating a platform for future measures such as battery storage and EV charging that can further strengthen resilience and operational continuity.

Impact on the local area

The proposed development has been designed to have minimal impact on the local parish and the surrounding area. The solar array is a quiet, low-intensity land use with no routine noise, lighting, or emissions during operation, and it does not generate traffic once constructed other than infrequent maintenance visits. Visual effects are limited by the low profile of the panels and the use of existing boundary vegetation, with additional planting and habitat enhancement helping to soften views over time. Construction impacts will be temporary and managed through a Construction Traffic Management Plan and Construction Environmental Management Plan, with defined access routes, working hours, and controls for dust, mud, and noise to protect nearby residents and local roads.

The scheme is also expected to deliver local benefits while maintaining the area’s rural character. By generating clean electricity close to where it is used, the project supports local energy resilience and helps reduce exposure to energy price volatility, which is increasingly relevant for rural communities and estates with significant operational loads. Overall, the development represents a reversible use of land that maintains agricultural potential (for example through compatible grazing and habitat management), secures measurable biodiversity gains, and contributes to local and national climate objectives with limited change to day-to-day parish life.

Challenges and Solutions

The main challenges for the Chaldean Estate project have been managing planning risk while accommodating site-specific constraints, particularly ecology, and ensuring the evidence base is consistent with a buildable layout. Ecological sensitivities along field boundaries and within adjacent woodland (including protected species considerations) required early survey input and careful stand-offs, as well as confidence that the scheme could deliver measurable Biodiversity Net Gain in a way that remains realistic under the operational conditions of a solar array.

These challenges have been addressed through a constraint-led design approach and a coordinated package of technical reporting. The layout has been iterated to avoid sensitive features, and BNG has been designed in from the outset so uplift is achieved on-site and can be secured through practical habitat management measures. In parallel, technical workstreams such as heritage and drainage/flood risk are being aligned with the final drawings to reduce delay at determination and provide a clear, consultee-ready planning submission.

The Chaldean Estate solar PV planning project demonstrates how a planning-led, constraint-driven approach can bring forward a technically robust and deliverable scheme with minimal local impact. By integrating ecology, BNG, heritage and drainage considerations into the layout from the outset, the project has built a clear evidence base that supports determination and reduces the risk of late-stage redesign. The outcome is a proposal that can provide long-term, locally generated renewable power for the estate while delivering measurable environmental enhancement and a practical route to implementation.

For clear and concise advice on renewable energy technologies, design services and technical support please contact me.