The proposals

Expected to generate 500 megawatts of clean, renewable solar energy, Lime Down Solar Park is proposed as comprising the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels) and an on-site energy storage facility. Our proposals for the project will also include appropriate enhancement and mitigation measures to reduce any impact the project might have on the local area, as well as the necessary infrastructure for us to connect into the National Grid at Melksham substation via underground cables.

What we consulted on

During our six-week Stage One consultation (14 March - 26 April 2024), we asked for your feedback on the proposed layout of Lime Down Solar Park, on the potential impacts and accompanying mitigation and enhancement measures most suitable to the area, and on community benefits. We will further refine our plans based on the feedback we have received alongside environmental considerations, particularly on:

• The proposed locations for solar, battery energy storage system and cabling to determine which is most suitable to the local community and environment;

• Specific mitigation measures you want us to consider to reduce potential impacts;

• Specific enhancement measures you want us to consider to enhance the local environment and deliver a biodiversity net gain; and

• Which local initiatives, schemes or projects would most benefit those living closest to the proposals.

We are now reviewing the feedback provided to our Stage One consultation, and thank everyone who took part. For more information, please visit our webpage on Consultation by clicking here.

Island Green Power, a leading developer of renewable energy projects with a focus on utility-scale solar farms and battery energy storage, is proposing to develop Lime Down Solar Park. At Island Green Power, our mission is to help the UK increase our solar energy usage, making more renewable energy possible whilst drastically reducing our carbon emissions.

We have successfully delivered 34 solar projects worldwide totalling more than 1GW of capacity. This includes 17 solar projects in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Committed to responsible land use, we believe that the development and delivery of utility-scale solar farms can be achieved in harmony with their surroundings.

For more information, please visit the Island Green Power website at: https://www.islandgp.com/

Lime Down Solar Park is proposed to be located in North Wiltshire, entirely situated within the jurisdiction of Wiltshire Council. The solar park element is proposed as being built across five sites comprising agricultural land of approximately 857 hectares (2,118 acres) located to the north of the M4, southwest of Malmesbury. A sixth site is located on land near Melksham substation, approximately 20 kilometres away from the solar development sites. This site has been identified as the potential location for a Battery Energy Storage System. The specifics of each site are as follows:

• Lime Down A – Located to the east of Commonwood Lane

• Lime Down B – Located to the east of the Fosse Way

• Lime Down C – Positioned both to the west and east of Fosse Way, located to the east of the village of Alderton

• Lime Down D – Immediately north of the Great Western railway line, north of Hullavington and south of Bradfield Wood

• Lime Down E – Located south-west of Rodbourne, and south of Corston; and

• Land at Melksham Substation – located north of the village of Whitley.

To connect to the Melksham Substation through underground cabling, we are currently considering three broad cable route corridors that we seek to further refine through technical assessments and consultation, as follows:

• South from the 400kV substation, south across the M4 near Sevington then east of Yatton Keynell. Then running south across the A420, then west of Gastard and east of Corsham until it reaches Melksham substation.

• South from the 400kV substation, south across the M4 near Leigh Delamere then west of Kington St. Michael, across the A420 road, east of Gastard and West of Notton.

• A route that broadly follows the A350 road having run south from M4 junction 17.

We have not yet finalised the layout at this early stage in the development process, as this will evolve based on the findings from environmental and technical surveys we are carrying out and feedback we receive through consultation and engagement. We are grateful for feedback we have received to our Stage One community consultation regarding the proposed locations for solar, BESS and cabling and are reviewing your comments to determine which may be the most suitable to the local community and environment.

Preliminary environmental work is also currently being undertaken to determine where we would locate equipment, with assessments also being carried out to identify those areas that will be set aside to create new or enhancing existing habitats, as well as buffer zones to maintain a respectful distance between infrastructure and existing homes, landscape, ecological features, and Public Rights of Way.

Why here?

The site area has been chosen in consideration of Government policy on new renewable energy projects, which includes examining whether it is within a viable distance from a grid connection, has suitable levels of irradiation (sunlight) and other considerations such as environmental constraints, the distance of the site from dwellings, agricultural quality of the land, and accessibility.

A range of environmental and technical factors suggest the area is a suitable location for a solar farm. These include the topography (being relatively flat), existing land uses being compatible, our understanding of potential environmental constraints, and existing access for construction vehicles.

Choosing a site involves balancing various factors, and we also want key stakeholders and residents to have input on this process. This is why we engaged with local communities regarding our initial plans during our Stage One consultation, to offer you an opportunity to share your perspectives and feedback on this with us.

Our indicative timeline can be found on The Development Process page 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.

Lime Down Solar Park will provide a significant amount of clean electricity for business and homes in the region, supporting national and regional aims to decarbonise our electricity systems and bolster our energy security.

The way we consume energy is already 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. To hit our net zero and climate change targets, boosting our solar energy capacity is an essential component.

Solar power is a clean, predictable, homegrown source of energy that gets power into the system and people’s home faster than any other renewable. The British Energy Security Strategy, published in April 2022, specifically aims to increase the UK’s solar capacity fivefold by 2035, equivalent to around 70 gigawatts of generation capacity. To read the security strategy click here.

Expected to deliver 500 megawatts of clean, predictable and affordable energy, Lime Down Solar Park would contribute to the Government target to reach net zero by 2050 and its vision for decarbonisation of the energy sector by 2030 (linked here).

Currently our proposals for Lime Down Solar Park are in the very early stages and work is required to refine them following feedback from consultees.

Our Stage One community consultation ran for six weeks, starting on 14 March 2024 and came to a close at midnight on 26 April 2024. We are grateful to all those who participated and are currently reviewing all of the feedback we received over the course of the consultation period.

We are committed to undertaking clear and comprehensive public consultation before we submit our application. We value local knowledge, and we are confident that this consultation process will result in a strong set of proposals that respects the neighbouring community while generating clean energy.

Our team are dedicated to working with communities throughout the development of the project and beyond should the project be granted development consent.

A key aspect to our process is to ensure people receive information at the right stage and that they are able to comment and provide feedback. We believe in an iterative approach to engaging communities and plan on presenting and refining our proposals across two stages of consultation.

Throughout the process, we will report on the feedback that we have received, and how this has helped to shape our proposals. We will soon produce a Stage One Consultation Summary Report which will include a summary of the feedback submitted to this consultation along with an overview of how we’ve taken your views into account as we continue to develop our proposals. If you would like to be notified directly when the Consultation Summary Report is made available, or receive information about future engagement and the next stage of consultation we will carry out on our more detailed proposals for Lime Down Solar Park, please click here to register your details with us.

We are still in the very early stages of design development. However, we have presented the emerging proposals at an early stage to introduce ourselves and the project. We will undertake our Stage Two statutory consultation once the project has developed to a point where we can set out what the project is in greater detail. This will include a comprehensive preliminary report of what our environmental impacts are expected to be.

We plan to publish a Statement of Community Consultation later this year, ahead of our Stage Two consultation. This will explain how we will consult with the communities and groups who may be affected by the project. It will also explain how the local community can provide feedback and how this feedback will be taken into account in the development of our plans.

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. The proposals will be designed to considerately respond to the landscape in and around the Site, including existing and new paths and open spaces. Lime Down Solar Park could provide opportunities for public access and recreation, improving amenity resources in the area.

We are committed to working with local communities to identify and define community benefits and we want to hear your suggestions on local schemes and projects we could support or deliver to benefit those communities closest to the project.

Lime Down Solar Park will not require any public money, subsidy or funding. This is one of the benefits of solar, compared to other forms of renewable (and non-renewable) energy generation – if the site is commercially viable, and costs are as expected, projects like Lime Down Solar Park can be viably delivered by private investment with no impact to the taxpayer.

Furthermore, the proposals for Lime Down Solar Park include a community benefit package, which we seek to provide to the local area. We invite your ideas and suggestions to determine the specifics of this fund, which will be decided as we move forward.