Thousands of solar panels planned for MOD base

Thousands of new solar panels have been planned for a military base.

Wiltshire Council has approved plans for 3,582 panels at the MOD site in Lyneham, which were put forward by the Secretary of State for Defence.

The new panels will power the new technical training school and accommodation block, which is currently being built at the site.

According to Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Lyneham and Bradenstoke Parish Council said it had no objection to the proposal, as long as concerns about flooding were applied.

The parish council said in their response that drainage channels were "required...to mitigate the risk of flooding."

Wiltshire Council's own drainage officer further reinforced this, stating surface water flooding needed to be mitigated during the construction phase and afterwards.

A drainage strategy request was subsequently submitted by the MoD.

Across Wiltshire, plans for solar panels have been poised for a variety of locations including the Stourhead, where the National Trust has submitted plans to put up about 300 solar panels within the estate.

Larger projects have proven controversial however, such as the Lime Down Solar Farm near Malmesbury.

The MoD has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

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