The proposals

We are preparing a planning application which would seek permission for a solar development for a time limited 40-year term on land at Home Farm, around 500 metres from the IBM Hursley site.

Once developed, the facility would generate almost 5 million kWh of energy annually, saving the equivalent of c. 46,000 tonnes of CO2 or planting c. 60,000 trees over the scheme’s lifetime. The greenhouse gas savings alone would equate to removing around 580 UK cars off the road.

The energy produced would directly power the IBM Hursley site, including IncuHive and the Hursley Sport and Social Club.

The proposals have been sensitively designed to consider local landscape, heritage and ecology. This has informed the location and layout of the solar development, with landscape buffers incorporated between the adjacent woodlands and additional screening proposed to filter any limited views of the site.

Proposed site layout to show where the solar development is proposed in relation to IBM Hursley

Benefits

The proposals would:

Generate renewable energy – the solar development would generate almost 5 million kWh of energy annually and meet an immediate demand for localised, clean energy. This would equate to saving the equivalent of c. 46,000 tonnes of CO2 or planting c. 60,000 trees over the scheme’s lifetime.

Support a local business and employer – allowing IBM to power its Hursley site on clean, renewable energy. The energy generated would directly power the IBM Hursley site, together with IncuHive and the Hursley Sport and Social Club.

Meet climate targets – the proposals align with Winchester City Council’s commitments to achieve a carbon neutral district by 2030 and support IBM in meeting global climate targets.

Biodiversity enhancements – the considered site layout has been designed to consider local ecology and enhance biodiversity, with an area dedicated to new planting that would support pollinators.  

Frequently Asked Questions and Responses

We have provided responses to frequently asked questions below. If your question has not been answered, please let us know by sharing your feedback here.

The site

  • The site is located on the land at Home Farm, Hursley, near Winchester, approximately 500 meters from the operational IBM site.

  • The application for the proposed solar array would be time-limited for a 40-year term.

  • The site is classified as low-grade agricultural land, and the proposals would therefore not take high-quality farmland out of use. As the application for the proposed solar array is time-limited for a 40-year term there would be no permanent loss of agricultural land, with the site instead meeting an immediate demand from a local employer for clean energy. Additionally, the quality of the on-site soil is likely to benefit from the pause in activity for this period.

  • Yes, this is being considered as part of the planning process. The topography of the site means that the site does naturally drain and aid run off.

The proposals

  • Winchester City Council declared a Climate emergency in 2019, with the goal of reaching a carbon neutral district by 2030. IBM share this ambition, also working to transition to net-zero emissions. The proposed development will be essential to meeting these targets, with all renewable energy produced directly supplying IBM Hursley, as a long-standing local business and employer.

  • Yes. Whilst higher levels of energy will be generated through the summer months, solar panels rely on the suns light, no matter how weak, so even on overcast days they will still be able to generate energy.

  • The proposals have been sensitively designed to minimise any local effects. Key considerations through the pre-application planning process have included landscape, heritage and ecology. This has all informed the site location and layout of the proposed solar scheme. Technical reports will be submitted as part of the planning application to detail this process in full.

  • The proposals would not impact on access to the community facilities on the IBM Hursley site. The PRoW would need to be briefly diverted to allow cabling to be laid, however, this would only be temporary, and the PRoW would still be accessible throughout.

  • All the energy generated would be transported directly to the IBM Hursley site via underground cable.

  • No. There will not be a requirement for any battery storage on site. IBM’s energy demand has directly informed the proposals and, therefore, all the energy generated will be used by IBM.

  • The site will be kept secure by CCTV monitoring, together with a 24-hour response team.

Timescales

  • We are preparing a planning application which will be submitted to Winchester City Council in autumn 2024 for its consideration.

  • Construction of the solar development would take up to 4 months.

Sharing feedback

  • The public consultation has now closed but if you wish to contact a member of the project team, please head to the contact us page here.