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Sports & Spaces Ltd was appointed by sustainable energy providers Conergy UK in spring 2018 to provide a remediation strategy and specification at a recently constructed solar site in Llancadle, South Wales. The site is situated within a family-owned mixed, stock, and arable farming enterprise.
The solar array was constructed in winter 2017 in very wet conditions. Engineering and construction activities heavily impacted the farm site, leaving significant areas of the farmland disrupted and unusable.
We collaborated with Conergy, the landowner and the landowner’s agent to develop a remediation strategy and specification for its implementation. The objective was to reinstate the land to its pre-construction condition (without enhancement or betterment) so the farming enterprise could resume its previous activities in the impacted areas. The fragile nature of the indigenous soil type and the proximity of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) along one of the boundaries presented an additional challenge.
Topsoil is a precious and limited resource. Significant stone contamination of previous topsoil material rendered large areas unsuitable for stock husbandry or any agricultural mechanical activity. To protect the viable topsoil, we carried out stone remediation, screening and burying, together with soil amelioration using a suitable biomass organic soil enhancer to increase microbial activity. The amelioration also improved the soil’s nutritional and organic status. Additionally, granular gypsum was used as an ameliorant to assist soil aggregation and restructuring.
Surface levelling works were carried out, including the production of swales and watersheds. Surface uniformity enhancement was followed by seeding with a bespoke, sustainable pasture mix with added clover for nitrogen-fixing qualities. As the sward developed, selective rotational stock grazing was permitted. This allowed the areas to gradually reform as a sustainable long-term ley pastures.
We served as project consultants, remediation specialists, specifiers, project managers and quantity surveyors throughout this project. Following our remedial restoration activities, the landowner was able to resume previous farming practices with the newly developed pastures used for grazing and hay production.
