Latest Update
Continue to have your say as Lime Down Solar Park progresses to the next stage.
Island Green Power submitted its Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on Friday 19 September. PINS, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, accepted this application for examination on Friday 17 October.
Island Green Power is proposing Lime Down Solar Park, a new solar and energy storage park located in Wiltshire with an underground cable connection to the National Grid at Melksham substation.
If consented, the solar park could deliver up to 500 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity. This is equivalent to providing enough clean affordable electricity to power approximately 115,000 homes every year.
The Solar PV Sites comprise approximately 749 hectares (ha) of land. Around 479.5 ha of this land is proposed for solar PV, battery storage, and associated infrastructure. The remaining 269.5 ha would provide areas dedicated to ecological mitigation, measurable Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) delivery, landscaping, and agricultural land managed for environmental enhancement and habitat creation.
The project is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) because of the amount of renewable electricity it could generate. This means that a final decision on whether the project is able to proceed will be made by the Secretary of State. If consent is granted, it will be given a Development Consent Order (DCO).
We are now inviting the community to view the DCO application documents and consider whether they would like to submit their views directly to PINS. The DCO application documents can be viewed on PINS website here: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010168/documents
Members of the public are offered an extended amount of time for this stage and have until 23:59 on Friday 09 January 2025 to register with PINS to become an Interested Party and submit a Relevant Representation. This 10-week period is substantially longer than the minimum 30 days required.
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. This can be done via the PINS website at this link: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010168
Will Threlfall, Senior Project Development Manager, 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.
Now that PINS have reviewed the materials and accepted the application for examination, there is now an opportunity for people to have a further say and make their representations directly to the Examining Authority. The representation period will be open from 30 October 2025 to 9 January 2026, giving everyone plenty of time, accounting for the festive season, to share their views and take part in the examination process. The examination of the application will then commence in the new year and will be held for up to six months. More details will be publicised once they are confirmed.”
Our Community Relations team remains available at the Project-dedicated communications lines listed below:
· Email: info@limedownsolar.co.uk
· Freephone information line: 0808 175 6656
· Freepost: FREEPOST Lime Down Solar (Free of charge, no need for a stamp).