The Project

Development Process

Lime Down Solar Park is anticipated as being able to generate around 500MW of electricity. Since its generation capacity exceeds 50MW, the project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). 

The development consenting regime for an NSIP comes under the Planning Act 2008. This means that we need to submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build, operate and decommission Lime Down Solar Park to the Planning Inspectorate rather than the local planning authority.

In the case of energy related NSIPs, the Planning Inspectorate acts on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy and Net Zero. The Planning Inspectorate will carry out an examination of our application and then make a final recommendation to the Secretary of State on whether to grant consent. The Secretary of State will make the final decision on whether to grant consent for Lime Down Solar Park.

We expect the development process, including DCO submission and examination, to span two to three years. We intend to submit our application for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate in early 2025. Subject to obtaining consent, the earliest construction would start is 2027.

While the DCO application will not be submitted to the local planning authority, Wiltshire Council and stakeholder groups will play a key role in the planning process and will be extensively consulted as the project progresses.You can find more information about the application process for NSIP Projects on the Planning Inspectorate website, please visit the PINS webpage linked here. To view PINS’ informational video about the DCO process, please click here; alternatively a written transcript of this video is available by clicking here.

Please see below our project timeline for Lime Down Solar Park. To note, all dates are indicative and may be subject to change.

While the planning application will not be submitted to the local planning authority, Wiltshire Council and stakeholder groups will play a key role in the process and be extensively consulted as the project progresses.

Lime Down Solar Park would also help meet regional climate targets as it could play an important role in contributing to the vision set out in the Wiltshire Council Climate Strategy linked here, as well as support Wiltshire Council's pledge to becoming a carbon neutral county by 2030 linked here.

We anticipate that the development process through DCO submission and examination will take between two to three years. We intend to submit our DCO application to PINS in Q1 2025. Subject to achieving consent, construction would start no earlier than 2027.