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Cate Blanchett is faced with having to take action to protect great crested newts under green plans to power her £5m Victorian mansion with solar energy.
The Oscar-winning Australian actress wants to build a bank of 90 solar panels in a field on the grounds of her remote and secluded 13-acre estate.
But there are fears that the green power plan could have a potential ‘adverse’ effect on wildlife due to the digging of two trenches to connect cables from the panels to a machine room.
Blanchett, 53, who played the elven leader Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and her husband, playwright Andrew Upton, commissioned an ecological report as part of the planning request to install the panels.
The Oscar-winning Australian actress wants to build a bank of 90 solar panels in a field on the grounds of her remote and secluded 13-acre estate.
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Blanchett, 53, and her husband, playwright Andrew Upton, live in the £3m mansion in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and surrounded by woodland near Crowborough, East Sussex.
The report recommends that they implement a number of steps to mitigate the disruption caused by the installation to their home, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is surrounded by ancient woodland near Crowborough, East Sussex.
The study by consultancy Ecosupport claims the couple’s seven-bedroom villa is in an “amber impact zone” for crested newts with “high potential” for protected species.
A pond on the couple’s grounds next to the proposed panel site is said to offer ‘excellent’ habitat for the rare newts, while six other ponds in the area offer ‘good’ or ‘average’ habitat.
The report also reveals that the area has potential for badgers and nesting birds, which means that any work carried out must support them.
The green power plan could have a possible ‘adverse’ effect on wildlife in the pond due to the digging of two trenches to connect the cables from the panels to a machine room.
The actress is faced with having to take steps to mitigate the impact of development on Great Crested Newts (pictured)
It says: ‘In the absence of any mitigation measures, the proposed development is expected to result in certain adverse impacts.
‘Mitigation for newts/large crested reptiles is required as a result of multiple factors within the site, in particular, the site is located within the amber impact zone for large crested newts; the presence of a suitable habitat; the proposed earthworks are located so close to the ponds; and the proposed temporary ditch that runs between two ponds.’
“Within the broader area of the site, there are confirmed populations of newts/large crested reptiles and the site is connected to a good network of ponds of average to excellent habitat suitability.”
Blanchett and her husband have agreed to apply for a special license to allow construction work to take place with habitat compensation provided by the Newt Conservation Partnership.
It is an offense under the Wildlife and Range Act 1981 to intentionally or recklessly harass, harm or kill great crested newts, or to damage, destroy or obstruct their breeding and roosting grounds.
Blanchett and her husband, Mr. Upton, commissioned an environmental report as part of the planning application to install the panels. Stock Image
The ecologists add in their report: ‘The proposed works will require the creation of excavations. This can cause badgers and other mammals to become trapped or injured during the works. Therefore, in the absence of mitigation, an adverse impact is possible.
‘During construction, any excavation on the site should be covered nightly and/or include a suitable escape ramp for the protection of wildlife, eg badgers and hedgehogs.
‘The proposed works could cause disturbance to nesting birds and damage their nests if carried out during the nesting season, as the works are in close proximity to suitable breeding and nesting habitat.’
Blanchett’s plans involve expanding an existing mechanical room into a 23-foot by 18-foot building with five new air-source heat pumps and a wall-mounted array of Tesla batteries to store excess energy from his solar panels.
Blanchett’s planning agent stated in a report among the planning documents: ‘The panels will generate a sustainable power supply for the main house and outbuildings on the site.
“Overall, the proposal represents a small-scale renewable energy system that would contribute to the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions.”
Wealden Borough Council officials are expected to make a decision on the application next month. There have been no objections from the neighbors so far.
Last year Blanchett received consent for an outdoor swimming pool and in 2021 permission was granted to build a garden office complete with meditation room.
The pool was given the go-ahead after a newt officer made no objection, but ordered the covers removed by hand and the trenches covered at night to prevent entrapment of amphibians.
The officer also asked that building materials, such as bricks, be stacked on pallets and that waste be stored in containers instead of piles on the ground to prevent newts from using them as shelter.
Blanchett has become known as a proponent of renewable energy, ever since she was inspired by former US Vice President Al Gore.
She is known to drive an electric car and is an ambassador for the Australian Conservation Foundation, as well as an activist for the Climate Institute and SolarAid, which installs panels to help rural African communities.
Last year he launched a new Climate of Change podcast with his friend Danny Kennedy to bring attention to the climate emergency.
Blanchett also helped launch an installation of 1,906 solar panels on the roof of the Sydney Theater Company’s headquarters at The Wharf in Sydney Harbor in 2010.
The rooftop solar power system providing 70% of the building’s power was the second largest in Australia, producing enough power for 46 average homes.
Blanchett is the latest in a string of celebrities to boost their green credentials with solar panels on their homes.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney sought consent to put up 380 panels on her Worcestershire farm. Last year, TV cook Delia Smith also asked to add another 20 panels to her bank of 24 at her 18th-century Suffolk country house.