Consultation — Lime Down Solar Park

Overview of Stages of Consultation

Public consultation is a crucial component of the pre-application process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). We are committed to early and continuous engagement to ensure that the development of our proposals for Lime Down Solar Park is informed and shaped by community input. Local communities, residents, and councils play a vital role in this process.

The design process for the proposed development will be iterative and will be informed by feedback received during the two stages of community consultation that are planned for the project.

An initial non-statutory consultation stage began on Thursday 14 March and will be running for 6 weeks, until Friday 26 April. During this time, we are presenting our early-stage proposals for Lime Down Solar Park and are seeking your feedback on our plans. Stakeholder input, alongside ongoing studies and surveys, will shape and refine our proposals. Our commitment is to engage with local communities regarding our initial plans during this Stage One consultation, to offer you the opportunity to share your perspectives and feedback with us at an early stage in the development process. More information on Stage One, including details on the in-person and digital consultation activities we have planned, is available on our webpage This Consultation.

Further to developing more detailed proposals for the project, we will then carry out a second stage of consultation (‘Stage Two’). This will be a statutory stage of consultation as is required by the Development Consent Order process. We expect to carry out this second stage of consultation in winter 2024.

This statutory stage is required for NSIP applications and will focus on:

The location of equipment for the solar park and battery storage.
The cable connection between the solar park and Melksham substation.
Proposed mitigation and enhancement measures for impacts during construction and operation.

Feedback from this stage, combined with ongoing assessment findings, will help finalise our detailed plans for submission to the Planning Inspectorate.

The second stage of consultation will likely be the last time we consult on our proposals for Lime Down Solar Park before submission. However, if the Planning Inspectorate accept our Development Consent Order application for examination, then you will be able to register your interest in our proposals with them. The Planning Inspectorate will then keep you informed about the progress of our application as well as further opportunities to inform and contribute to that process.

Benefits

In addition to supporting the UK on a national level by creating low-cost, renewable energy, we believe those communities closest to the proposed development should benefit from it – with these communities being best placed to recommend what they believe a ‘community benefit’ should be.

We are committed to working with local communities to identify and define community benefits. In addition, we are exploring the possibility of generating local job opportunities during the construction and operational phase of the project.

We are keen to hear your suggestions on local schemes and projects that we could support or implement to benefit the communities closest to the project.

For direct updates on the project and upcoming consultation activity, you can register your details with us by clicking here.