Latest Update
17 October 2025
We submitted our application for a Development Consent Order (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 will shortly be able to 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
We will shortly be updating our website and publishing details of how you can stay involved and the next steps in the planning process, including how to register as an Interested Party and submit a Relevant Representation.
In the meantime, you can find out more about what to expect during the pre-examination and examination phases on PINS website at: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/decision-making-process-guide/examination-of-the-application
We are also recontacting landowners about option agreements for our cable route. The agreements we sent contained wording that should not have been included, which suggested that anyone agreeing to the use of their land for the cabling could not object to the project. This is not the case, and the wording will be removed in the revised heads of terms that we are sending out. Anyone who chooses to sign an agreement will also be able to submit a Relevant Representation expressing their view on the project.
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). We submitted our application to PINS on Friday 19 September 2025.
