A new guide gives developers and planners a clear framework for pragmatically safeguarding archaeological assets on solar farm projects
Supported by professional and industry bodies, the Archaeology and Solar Farms Good Practice Guide demonstrates how early archaeological assessment helps avoid planning delays and supports sustainable solar development.
Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, co-CEOs, Historic England, said: “The publication of the Archaeology and Solar Farms Good Practice Guide represents a landmark moment made possible by positive collaboration across heritage, archaeology and development partners.
“By giving a clear and consistent framework covering every stage of a solar farm’s lifecycle, it enables informed decisions, reduces delays and ensures that our irreplaceable buried heritage is protected as renewal capacity grows.”
A consistent framework for sustainable solar farm development
Supported by professional and industry bodies, the Archaeology and Solar Farms Good Practice Guide sets out a consistent framework for high-quality work covering every stage of large-scale solar farm development from early design through to decommissioning.
Developers who deploy staged, focused archaeological assessment and integrate it with scheme design before and after consent can reduce planning risk and better control costs and delays.
Knowing when to act and keeping project timelines on track
Planning officers and developers now have clear, practical guidance on when to act, which survey techniques to use, and how to work effectively with archaeologists.
The guide shows how a well-planned approach to archaeology keeps projects on track and meets the policy requirements for the sustainable conservation of the historic environment.
The result should be archaeological requirements that can be moderated more proportionately for sites where impacts are known to be low, or where risk can be managed due to the inherent flexibility of large solar farm sites.
“This guidance is a landmark in bringing two different industries together on the same page, while also building a foundation for positive and lasting relationships between archaeologists and the solar sector,” stated Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK.
“The new guidelines should ensure that archaeological investigations on solar farms are conducted more consistently, lowering costs and boosting confidence in investing in the transition to renewable energy.”
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