The Project

Project overview

Lime Down Solar Park is a utility-scale solar park and battery energy storage project proposed as being built on land in Wiltshire. 

The Project would comprise the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and an on-site battery energy storage facility, with an underground cable connection into the national grid at Melksham Substation so the electricity it generates can be made available to homes and businesses across the UK.  

If consented, the solar park could deliver up to 500MW of renewable energy. This is equivalent to providing enough clean affordable electricity to power approximately 115,000 homes annually. 

Location

The solar park is located within the administrative boundary of Wiltshire. It is proposed as being built across five land parcels comprising approximately 878 hectares (2,169 acres) located to the north of the M4, southwest of Malmesbury.  

The sites making up the solar park can be identified 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 – lies across the Fosse Way to the east of Alderton   

  • Lime Down D – lies immediately to the north of the Great Western Railway line and Hullavington, south of Bradfield Wood   

  • Lime Down E – located to the south-west of Rodbourne, and south of Corston  

The latest plan showing the location of the Project is available to view on this webpage.

The Project location map shows the extent of the land required for the construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of the Solar PV Sites and the connection into the national grid at Melksham Substation.

Within the boundaries of the Solar PV Sites there will be areas for environmental mitigation and enhancement, along with buffer zones to maintain a suitable distance between equipment and infrastructure and existing homes, landscape, ecological and habitat features and Public Rights of Way. 

Scroll down to use the interactive map where you can search for a location and see how it relates to the site. 

Site selection 

We selected sites for the proposed solar development after considering Government policy on new renewable energy projects. This includes examining whether they are within a viable distance of an available grid connection, have suitable levels of irradiation (sunlight), environmental constraints, the distance of the site from dwellings, agricultural quality of the land, and accessibility.  

Further to engagement with landowners who confirmed their willingness to enter into lease agreements, the solar park development sites were identified as suitable for a number of additional reasons:   

  • They comprise large arable fields of regular shape  

  • Gently undulating topography makes the sites technically suitable for solar development and maximising the efficiency of panels   

  • Existing hedgerows, tree belts and woodland around and across the sites mean they are well screened   

  • Most of the sites are located in Flood Zone 1 which is defined as having low risk of flooding  

  • There are only a small number of residential properties in proximity of the sites and effective landscaping and screening could be employed to offset or reduce any visual impacts  

  • The land is predominantly classified as Grade 3b (moderate quality agricultural land) with some Grade 3a (good quality agricultural)  

  • There are existing accesses for construction vehicles