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Another Solar Panel in Wimbish?

information and comments from David Corke

The comments are concerned with the companies involved and the environmental aspects of these plans

 

Environmental concerns - click a topic for our comments

Local Wildlife sites

Biodiversity Net Gain

Footpaths

Tree Preservation orders

Decommissioning

Endangered Species

Sheep Grazing

Residents' Property

Electricity from straw

 

Maps

Photomap

The companies listed below are linked to each other - Sumando having the controlling positions. It has four directors and others with controlling status all of whom are Spanish and three of whom are resident in Spain

 

PSRenewables

Wimbish Solar Farm Ltd

Padero Solaer Ltd

Sumando Ltd





The leaflet distributed to Wimbish residents said the project was at the planning stage. In fact a planning application has already been made to UDC. The planning application can be found at UTT25/1472/SCO Uttlesford planning site.

The planning application for Cole End Solar Farm made by Long Meadow Solar Farm Ltd as granted by UDC in 2022 and the farm has been constructed. That company is not connect with the group of companies applying to construct another solar farm adjacent to the Cole End Farm

 

Who are the companies planning to destroy 60 ha of Productive Farmland?

In 2022 Uttlesford District Council should have considered plans for a Solar Farm at Cole End. In fact UDC had lost its powers to approve or reject planning applications and it was national government that had taken over these powers. So it was three prime ministers (Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak) who, with their ministers, were responsible, in 2022, for approving the application.

Now there is a new application, being submitted by a different company, for another solar farm adjacent to the one nearly completed at Cole End.

This time UDC will make the decision and perhaps it will not approve it on the nod but consider all the objections and comments that will come from local residents.

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Wimbish Solar Farm Maps

Below is an aerial photo showing both sites: the northern half, with visible solar panels, is the existing Cole End site. The southern half is the planned Wimbish Solar Farm. Both are about 60 ha each in area.

 

 

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The new plan outline, from the planning documents

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PS RENEWABLES Ltd

The new development is said to be by PS Renewables Ltd whose web site says its "development and construction companies, having built over 300 megawatts of solar farms during the subsidy period of 2012 to 2016.  Since the withdrawal of these subsidy schemes in 2017, we have focused on developing larger utility scale (and subsidy free) energy projects – mainly solar farms, co-located with battery storage – reaching over 400 megawatts in operation today.  As such, PS Renewables is one of the largest developers of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, with over 7 gigawatts of projects in development today."

The reality is a bit different: PS RENEWABLES Ltd (who have made the application to UDC) have an entry on Companies House that reveals that PS Renewables Ltd has existed for years but has been dormant, each year just filing reports saying it has had no transactions and has done nothing at all.

It seems likely that Wimbish Solar Farms Ltd may be the real developer - the leaflet distributed to the Wimbish residents implied as much.

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WIMBISH SOLAR  FARM Ltd (no web site)
              


Companies House shows that Wimbish Solar Farm Ltd has existed for two months (since 28 April 2025 ). It plans to submit its first accounts on 30 April 2026

It directors are: (click a director for Companies House information. This opens a new page.)

HAZELL, Matthew Justin

  • Role: Director, Nationality British, Resident England

GANDIA FORNES, Jose Luis

  • Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident England
WIMBISH SOLAR  FARM Ltd is controlled by:Padero Solaer Ltd

        
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 PADERO SOLAER LTD (web site https://www.paderosolar.com)

LOCKHART, Glenn

  • Role: Director, Nationality British, Resident England

MOZAS FENOLL, Adrian

  • Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident Spain
Padero Solaer Ltd  is controlled by: Sumando Ltd     

Padero Solar Limited is a private company, with our registered office being located at 2 Crossways Business Centre, Bicester Road Kingswood, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP18 0RA

Since 2012, we have been focused on renewable energy development, more specifically utility scale ground mounted solar farms. We are immensely proud of the work we do to deliver solar energy projects that, Individually and collectively, help to directly tackle climate change.

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SUMANDO LTD (no web site)

GANDIA FORNES, Jose Luis

  • Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident England

MOZAS FENOLL, Adrian

  • Role: Director, Nationality Spanish, Resident Spain

Non directors with significant control of Sumando

Gabriel Cuartero

  • Nationality Spanish Country of residence Spain. Has significant influence or control

Juan Cuartero

  • Nationality Spanish Country of residence Spain. Has significant influence or control of the company

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So the organisation that is making plans for another Wimbish Solar Farm is SUMANDO LTD
a company all of the decision makers, bar one, are Spanish and live in Spain.

There is a complex chain of companies involved in the plans for another solar farm in Wimbish.

Uttlesford District Council should consider whether the chain of companies.

behind this application are likely to successfully achieve their project without unacceptable
risk of damage to the standard of living of the local population and to the environment.

       

Wimbish Solar Farm - countryside topics etc

No detailed planning application has yet been published for the planned Wimbish Solar Farm, so these comments are based on the public consultation leaflet and the four documents and map already submitted to Uttlesford DC planners.

It is claimed in these documents that no Environment Impact Assessment is needed. The detailed comments herewith suggest the opposite is the case.

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Local Wildlife Sites

There are several Local Wildlife Sites listed in the documents. UDC is supposed to take these into account when considering an application that may affect them. There is no indication as to how the biodiversity value of these sites will be conserved.

These web sites gives full details of all Wimbish LoWS: Wimbish Local Wildlife Sites

Number

Site name

8.9

Ufd161

Crowney Wood

8.9

Ufd167

Harrison's Wood

1.5

Ufd177

Wimbish Lanes

3500 m

Click the name or number of the LoWS
that are in the table on the left.

These are the sites closest to the proposed solar farm



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Tree Preservation Orders

These not mentioned in the documents (nor potential damage to them by the proposed development).

A full list of Wimbish TPOs is available at:

https://wimbish.org.uk/tree-preservation-orders-in-wimbish/

All listed trees in, or close to, the solar farm site should be identified and inspected for condition and likely damage by the proposed construction work.

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BNG – Biodiversity Net Gain

This new policy requires major developers to ensure that new biodiversity value exceeds the area with loss of diversity caused by the development. Ideally the new, high biodiversity, land should be outside the proposed development area and have public access.

It is claimed:

The development includes proposals for landscape, legacy woodland planting and nature conservation enhancement. The proposals would present considerable opportunity for landscape and biodiversity mitigation and enhancement by providing habitat and landscape enhancements though new planting and the creation of extensive grassland areas to replace arable land and species diverse wildflower meadow grassland.

There are no plans for how BNG requirements will be achieved and the nature of the gains be assessed

Will these be onsite (and behind the security fences)?

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Sheep Grazing

Grazing solar farms, also known as agrivoltaics, combine solar energy generation with agricultural practices, most commonly sheep grazing. This approach allows land to be used for both electricity production and livestock management, offering several benefits. 

"Sheep act as natural lawnmowers, reducing the need for mechanical or chemical vegetation control, which can be costly and environmentally harmful."

That's the kind of statement the proponents of Wimbish Solar Farm make. In their publicity leaflet they claim that grazing will produce biodiversity gain on the land covered by solar panels. It is true that, in those areas of Britain with many sheep farms, a farmer can add the solar panel land to his own land and make a profit from his combined flock.

In the west of Essex, like Wimbish, practically all farm land is arable and sheep farmers are mostly small scale "hobby farmers". So the main problem with grazing a local solar farm is getting a suitably skilled sheep worker willing to do the job.

For a farm of 60 hectares the flock size would be about 240 head including about 140 lambs fattening for slaughter. The wholesale price per lamb for slaughter ia unlikely to be over £50. Thus the income would be £7000 and expenses would include vets fees, winter feed, and the cost of travel if the shepherd lives at any distance from the solar farm. This renders a sheep farm under an East Anglian solar farm a non-starter economically unless it is subsidised by the company that manages the solar farm (they then avoid the costs of mowing and pesticide the grassland).

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Electricity from Straw

Straw is a low-value byproduct of cereal farming - the main type of farming in the north Essex area. Straw is a perfect biofuel for generating electricity. The growing cereal takes CO2 as it grows and then releases the exact same amount of CO2 and lots of electrical energy.

A typical cereal crop produces 5 tons of straw per year.

In the straw powered generating plant closest to Wimbish (Ely) 200000 tonnes of straw per year produces 270 Gigawatts of electricity, enough for 80,000 homes.

Wimbish Solar farm will produce energy for 11,000 homes on 60 ha, so 80,000 homes would need about 460 ha of farm land to be destroyed.

The other big advantage of using straw is:

By controlling when the straw is burnt, the electricity can be produced when it is needed - winter and night time. Solar produces nothing by night and less than a third of the summer amount by winter day. Solar power can be stored short term in massively expensive lithium batteries but not long term summer production for winter.

The main power source for solar is light falling on solar panes: these are very expensive and imported mainly from China.

With straw the raw material, the construction of a straw powered furnace like that at Ely uses mainly British workmen and material.

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Endangered Species

The Scarlet Malachite Beetle Malachius aeneus is one of Britain's rarest insects. One of the most important of the colonies in Britain, adjacent to Parsonage Farm, will be damaged by the construction of the entry buildings at Parsonage Farm.

Once known from only 8 locations in the UK.

In recent years the species has undergone a considerable range contraction and has been listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP).

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Photo by Dr Chris Gibson by permission from Essex Field Club

Residents' Property

Almost everyone in Wimbish will suffer losses from the construction of the Solar Farm: loss of the enjoyment of the countryside on ancient paths and bridleways, extra traffic on the road and absolutely no financial or employment gain as the solar farm will operate without any staff on site.

The only resident with any financial gain will be the local farmer and millionaire land owner who will get about £150,000 per year for the duration of the life of the solar farm.

The main financial losers will be the owners of two highly valued houses at Parsonage Farm who can expect to lose a very large part of the value of their houses.

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Footpaths

This is a map of footpaths and bridleways close to the planned development

Details of each numbered right of way are on:

https://wimbish.org.uk/wimbish-footpaths/

It is claimed that these will be unaffected but the new application appears likely to destroy Adcocks Lane – an ancient green lane and at present a wide footpath with hedges containing many mature trees.

The road to Parsonage Farm, a private road which is also a public footpath, will become the access road to the Wimbish site and be a main road rather than a quiet public footpath

There are footpaths that cross the site of the solar farm and will therefore bb destroyed.

This is a map of all the footpaths in the immediate area of the solar farm site. These will cease to be countryside rights of way if not destroyed.

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What happens when the Solar Farm wears out?

Solar farms are generally designed to last for a period of 25 to 30 years, with their operational life span often determined by the life span of the solar panels themselves. While individual solar panels may continue to produce electricity at a reduced rate after this period, the overall efficiency of the farm can decline, leading to decommissioning or repowering of the project. 

If the company managing the solar farm becomes insolvent, presumably the life span would be much less. In either case, the landowner will receive a brown field site of unusable solar panels the most obvious use for the land will be for housing development even though the developers claim they will return the site to its original state as farmland.

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Environmental concerns - click a topic for our comments

Local Wildlife sites

Biodiversity Net Gain

Footpaths

Tree Preservation orders

Decommissioning

Endangered Species

Sheep Grazing

Residents' Property

Electricity from straw

Maps

 

 

PSRenewables

Wimbish Solar Farm Ltd

Padero Solaer Ltd

Sumando Ltd