Category: Green Economy

YnNi Newydd (New Energy) have an ambitious vision – to build the largest community-owned solar farm in the UK.

As a community benefit society, YnNi Newydd (Welsh for ‘New Energy’) want to build a solar farm that reduces carbon emissions while maximising the benefits to the local community. For example, any profit will be reinvested in further community energy projects or for local community benefit.

For a project of this kind, you need three things: land, a grid connection and planning permission. YnNi Newydd knew they would need support for the negotiations and legal agreements, so they asked Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS) for help to make sure everything was done properly.

When ACS first started talking to YnNi Newydd, they were already in conversation with a small solar developer regarding an area of land straddling the England-Wales border. Of course, they knew this alone would cause its own challenges – they would need to apply for planning permission twice.

Bretton Hall Solar Farm will be one of the largest community energy schemes in the UK, generating 33 GWh of clean energy each year.

How we’re helping to introduce solar energy into this community

• We have explored issues around two planning applications – what happens if one is granted and the other is rejected?
• We are sharing our expertise – we have experts who specialise in working with community organisations, as well as an expert who has worked with Ofgem and colleagues who have worked with housing associations on renewable energy projects.
• We will negotiate a commercial agreement with the solar developer who will help make the project happen.

What’s next?

Anthony Collins Solicitors are continuing to support YnNi Newydd on their journey to building Bretton Hall Solar Farm. Their planning applications have been submitted, and hopefully, these will be accepted next year.

YnNi Newydd want to enter into a temporary joint venture with the solar developer during the development period, but it needs to be community-controlled. Making sure this happens correctly will be at the heart of the negotiations.

If everything goes to plan, work will start on-site at the end of 2023, with solar panels being installed during 2024. Not only will this project generate a significant amount of renewable energy, but there will also be a positive impact on the local communities surrounding the solar farm.

“Our purpose is to improve lives, communities and society. The green agenda needs to be at the centre of that. We need everyone to be thinking about sustainability and what they can do to mitigate the impact of climate change. Projects like this have a measurable impact and also empower the local community.”

David Alcock, partner, Anthony Collins Solicitors

Following a small number of pilots launched earlier in the year, the Government opened up applications for Wave 1 of the wider funding under its Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund on Monday (23 August 2021).  

The ‘demonstrator’ pilots were run with a small number of local authorities who submitted bids, and the registered providers (RPs) that engaged with them. In Wave 1, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is inviting bids directly from RPs (though this includes local authority providers and private RPs) to be put towards improving the energy performance of social housing. There is a maximum of £160m available in Wave 1, which must be spent by January 2023. 

The deadline for bids is 15th October 2021 and the outcome will be notified by the end of December, with grants being awarded in January 2022.  

Making our homes energy efficient is a critical step on the path to achieving our net-zero commitments, and no doubt RPs across the country will be identifying the funding that they want to bid for and the homes they want to improve. Once funding has been granted, the procurement of contractors, and the ability of the supply chain to deliver within the timescales that BEIS has set on the funding, are key aspects that need to be considered. I would encourage RPs to engage with those that are involved in the demonstrator pilots to learn from those projects and to give thought to the funding applications they want to submit.  

Our social housing and local government teams are on hand to support with all aspects of the funding programme, from subsidy control concerns arising from the funding to the procurement of contractors and suppliers and getting contracts in place. 

The guidance notes, application form, and other key documents are available here.

Gayle Monk, senior associate, Anthony Collins Solicitors