Orta Solar Ltd
Long Barn
Amport
HANTS
SP11 8JB
0203 195 9000
15th May 2013
Dear Cllr. Jones
East Hendred Solar Proposal OX12 8JA
Orta Solar is in the process of securing a suitable site for a solar park north of the A417 near
East Hendred. We are holding a public drop in session prior to the planning application to
evaluate the community’s comments and suggestions. The public consultation will be on
Wednesday, 22nd May, 4-8pm at Snell`s Hall OX12 8LA.
The purpose of this letter is to invite residents, Ward and Parish Councillors to our public
consultation and to comment on the proposal. You may wish to contact us directly and we would
be pleased to arrange a meeting at your house or the field. Alternatively, if you would prefer,
please advise us of any local stakeholders or groups that might be interested and we can
provide them with details directly.
As you may be aware, the government aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions by some 60% by
2050, whilst maintaining reliable and competitive energy supplies.
In order to achieve these targets a greater emphasis is being placed on the increased
development of renewable energy resources, such as solar power.
The Government has created initiatives to encourage the generation of renewable energy in the
UK from wind, anaerobic digestion, solar PV and biomass to name but a few. These initiatives
encourage the generation of renewable energy by landlords and tenants which goes into the
grid for use by all UK commercial and domestic users. This 100% green power can now be
purchased by residents to use in their homes at the same price as brown energy, offering those
who do not have the facilities or means to generate their own power to contribute to the
reduction in carbon emissions.
The benefits of such developments for the UK are considerable: decreasing reliance on fossil
fuels, protecting the environment and reducing the production of greenhouse gases. They will
also ensure a growing constant and affordable source of energy, contribute to power security
and provide a further form of diversification to support the farmer within the rural economy.
We believe that solar power best supports the government`s initiatives on renewable energy in
terms of efficiency combined with low impact on the environment and the community. All our
proposals are designed with this in mind.

We take care to select sites that meet demanding criteria.

Our sites must be out of way and, if possible, not visible to local residents. Where there
is any visibility we will screen the site with appropriate indigenous planting.

The site must be close to an existing means of connection to the local grid which will
distribute the Green energy produced into the National Grid. Thus there will not be any
noticeable change to the landscape in terms of the grid connection.

The land must be of low agricultural grade and remains in agricultural status. Wild
grasses will be sown within the site to encourage bio-diversity and farming activity can
co-exist alongside the solar element.

There is negligible reflection from the panels because they absorb the sunlight, they are
already common in many fields and roadsides. They appear as a blue-grey image within
the landscape.

Unlike most other means of power generation noise is not a concern. The solar panels
are fixed and have no moving parts. Other electrical equipment such as inverters are
typically contained in 8m x3m plant rooms, each 1MW of panels will require an inverter.

All our Solar Farms will be operative for a 25 year period. At the end of this term the
equipment and plant rooms will be completely removed and the land returned to its
former condition.
The Proposed Development
The proposed site relates to a field with a level and north facing aspect north of East Hendred
and the A417 and south east of the Drayton sub-station sloping away from the dwellings.
The area is suitable as the sun hours are high for the year in the south of the country, unshaded enabling stable energy generation. The application is temporary, the site must be
returned to agricultural use at the end of term and it does not alter the status of the land from
agricultural at any time.
The construction period and consequent traffic will last approximately 4 months; we would
expect this to be December to March. Following the construction of the development the only
traffic will be maintenance operatives who will be required to visit the site a few times a month.
Thus the traffic generation of the proposed development will be low.
Should you require any additional information in respect of the above proposal please do not
hesitate to contact us in order that we may make the necessary arrangements to meet with you.
This will give our company the opportunity to consider your comments and incorporate them as
best we can in our design process.
I look forward to receiving any suggestions you may have. Alternatively you will have the
opportunity to consider and comment on the proposed scheme at the drop-in meeting or, more
formally, during the subsequent processing of the planning application by the local planning
authority.
We look forward to seeing you on the 22nd May.
Yours sincerely,
Bridget Lawson.
Orta Solar Ltd
Office: +44 (0)203 195 9000
Email: bridget.lawson@ortasolar.com