Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) the proposed solar plant at Mallard Pass in Rutland and (b) other large scale solar plants on biodiversity.

Due to its proposed size (over 50MW) Mallard Pass solar farm will be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. It is currently at the pre-application stage. When the application is ready it will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. The Inspectorate will evaluate whether the application meets the necessary legal requirements. If it does, the Inspectorate will undertake a formal examination of the project in which the public will be able to participate and then provide a report to the Secretary of State to inform his decision-making.

The Government recognises that in some cases solar farms can affect the local environment. Applicants must complete an Environmental Statement as part of their planning application, which will include an assessment of the impacts on biodiversity. Well-designed solar projects have been shown to enhance biodiversity.