Community consultation on proposed 33-hectare Limavady solar farm
Plans for a solar farm close to Limavady have been submitted to Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
A planning application was recently submitted to council’s planning portal and seeks permission for a 31-hectare “ground mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) array (Solar Farm)”, on fields between Ballyleagry Road and Edenmore Road.
The proposed farm will have a maximum annual power output of 29.9 megawatts and plans include solar PV Panels, a substation, access to Ballyleagry Road, security fencing, and CCTV cameras.
An accompanying Design and Access Statement said the farm falls within Category 2 ‘Energy Infrastructure’ of the Schedule of the Planning Regulations 2015.
“This application follows submission of a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) submitted to the council on 19 December 2024, whereby a community consultation took place in February 2025,” the statement added.
“The site comprises seven large agricultural fields, three of which are bound the Ballyleagry Road to the south, while the rest are set back from the public road.
“There is an agricultural enclosure at the rear of one of the fields bounding Ballyleagry Road [and] access is provided via an existing gated laneway.
“Field boundaries comprise a mixture of mature hedgerows, trees, and post and wire fences. There is an area of woodland at the northern end of the site.
“A small area of this woodland is contained within the site boundary, [which] will be retained.
“The closest settlement is the hamlet of Ardgarvan, which is located 1.1 kilometres to the north-west of the site.
“The surrounding lands are primarily rural in character and in agricultural use with single dwellings and groups of farm buildings dotted across the local landscape.
“The construction and operation of the proposed solar farm will deliver substantial environmental, social and economic benefits [and] will produce enough energy to service 9,510 homes within Northern Ireland annually.”