The Planning Inspectorate announced yesterday (Thursday, October 30) that it was inviting individuals and organisations to register to comment on the planning application.
Those representations will be considered by the planning inspector when he or she makes a decision on behalf of the government’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, next year.
And the Inspectorate has extended the time during which representations will be accepted from the usual 30 days to 10 weeks.
This means members of the public have until Friday, January 9 to register and make representations.
Lime Down Solar Park Limited wants to build a 500 megawatt solar farm to the north of the M4 near Malmesbury.
The company – a subsidiary of Island Green Power, which is owned by Australian venture capital group and former Thames Water owner Macquarie – says its scheme would produce enough renewable energy to power 115,000 homes.
If permitted, the development would cover an area four miles wide and two miles deep. The solar panels would stand at 4.5 metres tall – the height of a double decker bus, and a UK-first.
A number of battery storage systems would be built as part of the scheme. One would be the height of a five-storey building.
A 20km cable to the substation at Melksham would require a corridor 60 metres wide. It would pass under the M4 and the Bristol-to-London railway line.
Due to the scale of the project it is deemed a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. This means the planning application will not be considered by planners at Wiltshire Council – although the authority officially objects to the scheme.
The call for representations marks the beginning of the Planning Inspectorate’s Examination phase.
The applicant, anyone who is registered to have their say, official bodies, and people whose land is directly affected can comment on the proposed development. This stage of the process takes up to six months.
The next steps are:
Recommendation: A written report is prepared and sent to the Secretary of State within three months of the end of the examination stage.
Decision: The Secretary of State then reviews the report and makes the final decision. They have three months to do so.
The Secretary of State’s decision is not the end of the matter, as challenges can be made to the High Court. The High Court will decide if there are grounds for a judicial review.
For the latest public notices in your area, visit www.publicnoticeportal.uk
This week Will Threlfall, senior project development manager, at Island Green Power said: “We would like to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to engage with us throughout the consultation process, from our first stage of non-statutory consultation in early 2024, to our statutory consultation in early 2025 and targeted consultation in Summer 2025.
“Your feedback has been invaluable in shaping our proposals, and we are grateful for the constructive conversations we’ve held with local communities, stakeholders and statutory bodies along the way.”
Individuals and organisations who want to register to have their say can do so at https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010168/register/register-have-your-say
