A solar farm spanning the equivalent of 15 football pitches is set to be built on a contaminated former golf course in Widnes after winning planning permission. Halton Council's planning department has given the go-ahead for a solar microgrid at the former St Michael's golf course, located between Ditton Road and Speke Road.
The project will comprise over 7,200 solar panels, capable of generating four megawatts of energy. The electricity produced will power council-operated buildings, including its municipal building HQ, Lower House Lane depot, DCBL Stadium and the new leisure centre on Moor Lane.
Halton Council already runs a smaller solar farm on nearby land, launched in 2020, but this new 27-acre development will quadruple capacity. The former municipal golf course was shut down in 2004 due to arsenic contamination and leachate outbreaks from waste mass in the northern section.
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Despite plans announced in 2016 to reopen it post-cleanup, these never materialised. A design and access statement supporting the new scheme said: "It is acknowledged that the site is allocated for employment uses, however, the site, which was formerly used for waste purposes, is known to be contaminated, which is a significant visibility barrier to redevelopment for employment uses within the short to medium term."
Designs available online suggest that the construction of the new facility will span approximately 13 weeks, with the structure expected to stand for 40 years, followed by a six-month period set aside for decommissioning. The site for this project is planned next to the existing one-megawatt farm, which is already home to 3,000 solar panels, reports .
The report further noted: "The government expects each authority to contribute to meeting the (climate change) targets and reducing overall demand for energy. Communities have an important role to play in supporting energy generation from renewable or low-carbon sources.
"The proposed microgrid facility will make a significant contribution towards providing energy for the local area and would reduce CO2 emissions."
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