Land at Stretchford Farm, Staverton, South Hams

British Solar Renewables is bringing forward proposals for a solar development on land at Stretchford Farm, near Buckfastleigh.

The updated scheme would have an approximate capacity of 23MW, generating enough clean, renewable electricity to power around 6,583 homes each year and delivering annual carbon savings of  approximately 6,070 tonnes of CO₂e.

Following consultation in late 2024, the scheme has been reviewed and updated. The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is no longer proposed, and the project is now focused solely on solar generation. The proposal represents an important opportunity to boost green energy production in the local area.

Project update - May 2026

Since the previous consultation, the scheme has been reviewed and updated, taking into account feedback from the local community and stakeholders, as well as ongoing design and assessment work. Key changes include:

  • A reduction in the extent of development, particularly in the northern part of the site, increasing separation from nearby homes.
  • Updates to the layout to better reflect the site and its surroundings.
  • Enhanced landscape proposals, including native supplementary tree and hedgerow planting to strengthen screening.
  • Relocation of some infrastructure within the site to reduce potential visibility.
  • Removal of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), with the project now focused solely on solar generation.

As part of the next stage of the project, British Solar Renewables will be undertaking a further Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping exercise in light of recent updates to the scheme. The scoping request will be submitted to South Hams District Council and made available to view via the Council’s planning portal.

Please note that the layout and design of the scheme may continue to evolve, subject to the forthcoming scoping opinion from the local planning authority.

If you would like to discuss the proposals or have any questions, please get in touch with the project team.

Why is this needed?

We are in the midst of a climate emergency. The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change outlines that immediate action must be taken to avoid irreparable climate breakdown. Solar developments, such as the one proposed on land at Stretchford Farm, are an important part of the solution.

South Hams District Council has declared a Climate Change and Biodiversity Emergency. Within its Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategy, the Council has committed to working with partners through the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group to aim to reduce the District of South Hams’ carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 at the latest.

British Solar Renewables is dedicated to being part of the transition towards renewable energy sources in the UK. The impacts of climate change are already evident, with extreme weather events such as record-breaking temperatures, droughts and unusually heavy rainfall becoming increasingly common.

Solar energy is an affordable and efficient form of green energy, which is an important part of improving the energy independence of the United Kingdom and working towards meeting the UK’s target of net zero by 2050.

Why here?

British Solar Renewables is often asked about its developments: “why here?” The key driver for identifying a suitable location for a development of this nature is the National Grid.

Firstly, there is a need to identify a part of the Grid that has capacity, and then a suitable point of connection to export generation. Once British Solar Renewables has identified a suitable grid connection, landowners who have a suitable amount of land for the development are contacted to gauge interest.

British Solar Renewables also considers land grade, landscape impact, heritage, flood zones, noise, transport and ecology as part of the site selection process. A full Site Selection Report will be submitted as part of the planning application.

Following the 2025 National Grid reform to clear backlogs, modernise the system and accelerate decarbonisation to ensure the country reach net-zero targets, the project has been successful in securing a NESO Gate 2 grid offer.  Should planning permission be granted, British Solar Renewables expects the project to be connected to the electricity network post 2030 with a possibility of an earlier connection date.

Get involved

Our consultation period has now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part and shared feedback on the proposals.

British Solar Renewables is continuing to develop the project and will provide further updates as the proposals progress.

In the meantime, you can continue to contact the project team by calling 0800 058 4846 or emailing info@bsrstretchford.co.uk.