Bengrove Solar Farm

Apex provided transport planning and highways advice to support a full planning application for the Bengrove Solar Farm, a circa 15MW renewable energy development on land east of Base Lane, Sandhurst, Gloucestershire.

The proposals comprised the installation of photovoltaic solar panels across approximately 24 hectares of agricultural land, together with associated infrastructure, access tracks and security measures. Once operational, the scheme will generate sufficient renewable electricity to power the equivalent of approximately 5,700 homes, contributing to national and local renewable energy targets. The development will operate for a temporary period, after which the land will be restored to agricultural use.

The site is located within a rural area accessed via existing private farm tracks connecting to Sandhurst Lane. The key transport challenges related to:

• Demonstrating that the existing farm access could be upgraded to safely accommodate construction traffic, including HGVs
• Managing construction vehicle movements on the surrounding highway network and identifying suitable access routes to the strategic road network
• Demonstrating that the temporary increase in traffic during the construction phase would not result in unacceptable highway safety or capacity impacts
• Ensuring that appropriate mitigation and management measures were in place to minimise disruption to local residents and highway users

Given the nature of the development, it was also important to demonstrate that operational traffic would be minimal once construction was complete.

We provided transport planning input from the early masterplanning stage through to planning determination and prepared a comprehensive Transport and Access Statement to support the planning application.

The assessment included the design of the site access arrangements, ensuring that appropriate geometry and visibility could be achieved to safely accommodate HGVs expected during the construction phase. Visibility splays were assessed against recorded vehicle speeds, and the access design was informed by swept path analysis to confirm safe manoeuvring in forward gear.

Given the rural location and the use of narrow local roads, detailed route analysis was undertaken to identify the most suitable routes to and from the site. This analysis was informed by swept path assessment, a review of adopted highway extents, road safety data and the availability of suitable passing places along the route. This also included a detailed site visit undertaken together with the highway authority.

The assessment identified a number of locations where targeted highway widening could be delivered along the preferred route to improve passing opportunities and ensure that HGV movements could be accommodated safely. We also advised on the internal site layout to ensure that delivery vehicles could be accommodated appropriately and that interactions with public rights of way were managed safely.

A forecast of construction vehicle movements was prepared, and the likely impacts on the surrounding highway network were assessed. This demonstrated that construction traffic would not result in a severe impact on the operation or safety of the network.

A range of mitigation measures were set out, including signage, banksman supervision where required, on-site health and safety measures and delivery management. These measures were brought together within a framework Construction Traffic Management Plan, prepared to guide the appointed contractor and ensure that construction traffic was managed in a coordinated and controlled manner to minimise impacts on the local highway network.

The transport evidence supported the successful grant of planning permission in 2024, with the local planning and highway authorities satisfied that, subject to mitigation, the proposals could be accessed safely and that construction traffic impacts could be effectively managed.

The approved scheme delivers a significant renewable energy development, supporting the generation of clean electricity at scale, underpinned by a robust access strategy, carefully managed construction traffic arrangements and a transport approach aligned with national planning policy objectives for sustainable development.