Lime Down Solar Park

Our Autumn Newsletter provides an overview of the submitted proposals. This includes the further work we’ve undertaken to assess and manage impacts since the close of statutory consultation and targeted consultation earlier this year, including updates to the project design. It also explains how you can continue to stay involved and navigate our application documents.

Between Thursday 30 October 2025 and Friday 09 January 2026, you can register as an Interested Party and submit a Relevant Representation to the Planning Inspectorate.

Scroll down on this page or read our Newsletter to find out how.

Welcome

Island Green Power is developing proposals to build a new solar and energy storage project on land in Wiltshire, with associated infrastructure to connect it to the national grid.

The electricity generated by the proposed solar park would be exported via an underground cable connection into the existing national electricity transmission system at Melksham substation.

The project is anticipated as being able to deliver up to 500 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity through ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV panels). This is enough clean, affordable electricity to power approximately 115,000 homes every year.

The way we consume energy is changing. The move towards renewables and the transition away from fossil fuels is an environmental and economic necessity. National electricity demand is increasing and expected to double by 2050. Increasing our solar energy capacity is therefore essential if the UK is to hit its target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while also meeting demand.

Solar power is a clean, homegrown source of energy that gets power into the system and people’s homes faster than any other renewable technology. The Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, published in 2024, sets out the target to more than treble solar power by 2030, equivalent to around 50 gigawatts (GW) of generation capacity.

Expected to deliver clean and affordable energy, the Project would contribute to the Government target to deliver a cheaper, zero-carbon electricity system by 2030 and accelerate to net zero.

The amount of electricity Lime Down Solar Park could generate exceeds 50MW. It is therefore classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). The development consenting regime for a NSIP comes under the Planning Act 2008. This means to get permission to build and operate the solar park we need to apply to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) for a Development Consent Order (DCO).

Current status and how you can stay involved

We would like to thank everyone who has taken part 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.

We submitted our application for a DCO to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on Friday 19 September 2025. PINS has reviewed the materials and accepted the application for examination, which is a statutory part of the process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. The examination of the DCO application will commence in the new year and will be held for up to six months. More details will be publicised once they are confirmed.

You can now view all our application documents, including the Environmental Statement [EN010168/APP/6.1] and the Consultation Report [EN010168/APP/5.1] via PINS website at: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010168/documents 

Between Thursday 30 October 2025 and Friday 09 January 2026, you can register as an Interested Party in the application. Interested Parties may participate in the Examination of the application and will receive formal notifications as the Examination progresses.  

You have until 23:59 on Friday 09 January 2026 to register with PINS to become an Interested Party and submit a Relevant Representation. You can do this by visiting the PINS project website at: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010168  

Anyone can register to become an Interested Party and make a Relevant Representation summarising your views on our application, made in writing. PINS guidance on how to register and have your say is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nationally-significant-infrastructure-projects-how-to-register-to-have-your-say-and-make-a-relevant-representation  

Interested Parties will have the opportunity to make more detailed representations, known as Written Representations, at a later stage in the examination process, together with the opportunity to participate in examination hearings. 

For guidance on the pre-examination and examination phases, you can visit PINS website at: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/decision-making-process-guide/examination-of-the-application  

The pre-examination stage usually takes around three months, after which the Examination will commence. The Examination can take up to six months, following which the Examining Authority will have three months to write and submit a recommendation report to the Secretary of State, to inform their decision on whether to grant consent for the Project to be built (which will follow up to three months following this receipt of the recommendation report). A final decision on the project is expected to take place in late 2026 or early 2027.

You can register directly with PINS to receive updates about Lime Down Solar Park at: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010168/get-updates/start