FAQs

As our proposals have a generating capacity of more than 50 megawatts, East Park Energy is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

Planning permission for NSIPs follows the process set out in The Planning Act 2008. When our proposals are finalised, we will submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, who will decide whether or not to approve our application. DCO applications are not determined by the local authority, although they are involved throughout and maintain an important role during the DCO application process.

Non-statutory consultation  

Last year, we held a non-statutory consultation on our early proposals for East Park Energy. During this consultation, we shared initial plans with the public and stakeholders so that early feedback could be received. Following this consultation, we have been analysing the feedback and developing our proposals further. We have also been undertaking a range of environmental and technical assessments.

Statutory consultation 

Later this year, we will hold a formal statutory consultation on our developed plans for East Park Energy. As part of this consultation, we will also share our Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR). The purpose of the PEIR is to consider the potential adverse impacts of our proposals on the environment, along with the measures we propose to take to reduce, mitigate or measure any such impacts.

During this consultation, we will hold a series of public exhibitions where you can speak to our team about the proposals. You will also have the opportunity to submit your feedback on our detailed plans. All of this feedback will be carefully considered following the close of the consultation as we prepare our Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

Submission and Acceptance

We expect to submit our DCO application in early 2025. Following this, the Planning Inspectorate, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, has 28 days to decide whether the application meets the standards required to be accepted for examination.

Pre-examination  

After the application is accepted for Examination, members of the public will have the opportunity to register with the Planning Inspectorate and become an Interested Party. An Examining Authority (made up of independent inspectors from the Planning Inspectorate) will be appointed during the Pre-examination stage, and all Interested Parties will be invited to attend a Preliminary Meeting, run and chaired by the Examining Authority.  This stage usually takes around three months to complete.

Examination  

Following the Preliminary Meeting, the Examining Authority will carry out an independent Examination of our submitted plans. Although the Examination is primarily a written process, it will also include a range of meetings/hearings that Interested Parties can register to attend and participate in. The Examination can last for up to six months.

Recommendation and Decision  

Following the examination period, the Examining Authority has three months to prepare a report on the application to the Secretary of State. This report will include a recommendation as to whether our application should be approved or refused. The Secretary of State will then have a further three months to make a decision on whether to grant or refuse the development consent.

Post-decision  

After the decision has been made by the Secretary of State, there is a six-week period in which the decision can be challenged in the High Court, known as a judicial review.

The UK Government is proposing a very significant change in the way the UK meets its energy needs. In 2019, the Government committed the country to the achievement of ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2050 in order to help mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

Following this commitment, the Government published its ‘Net Zero Strategy’ in October 2021 which sets out how this can be achieved. A critical element of the strategy is a move away from traditional energy generation (such as fossil fuel power stations) to cheap, clean, and renewable sources of electricity in the UK. This includes increased amounts of solar energy and energy storage.

Aside from its contribution to our net-zero target, solar and energy storage technologies can play a vital role in achieving energy security. The UK Government is committed to the delivery of Net Zero. In order to do so it is forecast that up to 70 GW of solar energy is required nationally by 2035. There is currently only approximately 16 GW of solar energy installed in the UK and, as such, a step-change is required in the delivery of solar energy across the UK to achieve the 70 GW target.

The East Park Energy development would play a vital role in the achievement of the Government’s target. In doing so, it would also more than double the existing solar renewable energy capacity in Bedford Borough and Huntingdonshire District, providing enough renewable energy to supply approximately 108,000 homes — surpassing the total number in Bedford.

A comprehensive site selection process was undertaken to identify the most suitable land for East Park Energy. This process considered all land within 15km of the grid connection point at Eaton Socon Substation in terms of agricultural land classification, environmental constraints (including flood risk, landscape, ecology and heritage considerations), planning constraints (including local allocations, existing planning applications and existing NSIPs), land availability, site size, topography and other technical constraints (including location of urban areas, main rivers and major highway infrastructure).

1) Helping achieve Net Zero 

The UK Government is committed to the delivery of Net Zero. In order to do so it is forecast that up to 70 GW of solar energy is required nationally by 2035. There is currently only approximately 14.6 GW of solar energy installed in the UK and, as such, a step-change is required in the delivery of solar energy across the UK to achieve the 70 GW target. East Park Energy would play a vital role in the achievement of the Government’s target.

2) A low-cost renewable energy source 

Solar energy is one of the cheapest forms of electricity generation. Therefore, delivering more solar energy schemes will help bring down energy prices at a time when consumer costs are soaring. East Park Energy will significantly expand the UK’s domestic energy generation capability, contributing towards our energy security needs and helping to deliver stable energy prices that are independent of international fossil fuel markets.

3) Increasing biodiversity and environmental net gain

The land identified for the site is currently used for arable crops. As such, it is currently a suboptimal location for habitats and local wildlife. East Park Energy will not only make a significant contribution to fighting the global climate emergency, but our aspiration is also to deliver a significant biodiversity net gain for the local area, going well beyond minimum Government requirements, by enhancing the local environment and providing diverse new habitats that will create new, resilient ecological networks.

4) Sustainable employment and economic growth 

The construction of the site by East Park Energy will contribute to the local economy through the creation of job opportunities. This influx of construction jobs not only benefits the immediate community but also provides a vital economic boost.

East Park Energy is committed to maintaining a dedicated workforce comprising a minimum of 10 to 16 full-time employees. In alignment with our dedication to community engagement and sustainable growth, Brockwell will actively collaborate with local educational institutions and government initiatives to facilitate apprenticeships and provide training opportunities for residents in the immediate vicinity. This approach ensures that our operations not only contribute to regional employment but also foster skill development and career prospects within the local community.

During the operational phase the impact on the local road network would be minimal. A scheme of this scale would typically have a small operational workforce of a minimum of 10-16 full time employees on rotation in a shift pattern. As such, only a small number of post-construction vehicle movements would be generated, and this would mainly consist of maintenance vehicles occasionally visiting the site.

East Park Energy’s commitment to delivering a dependable, cost-effective energy supply to the UK holds the potential to reduce energy expenses for households and businesses nationwide, thereby contributing to broader economic stability and growth.

5) Community benefits from the East Park Legacy Fund 

Brockwell is also eager to support Net Zero initiatives locally, and through our East Park Legacy Fund we will support the community’s transition to Net Zero, likely in the form of grants that will be made available to community groups and facilities, schools and other public services, and local homeowners.

Brockwell will hold discussions with the local communities to understand how the fund can be best utilised to support Net Zero initiatives in the local area.

We are carrying out a detailed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) as part of the development of our proposals.

The purpose of the EIA is to assess the potential impact of East Park Energy on the environment. The scope of the EIA was agreed with the Planning Inspectorate in December 2023, and the results of the EIA will be provided in an Environmental Statement (ES) that will form part of our Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

A draft version of the ES, know as the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) will be made available for review as part of the statutory consultation later this year.

Brockwell is dedicated to conducting thorough surveys aimed at comprehensively assessing the existing biodiversity on our sites. These surveys are integral to our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship. We seek to gain deep insights into the unique ecological makeup of each location, allowing us to develop strategies that not only preserve but enhance biodiversity. These efforts are essential to ensuring that our schemes have a minimal ecological footprint and contribute positively to the surrounding environment.

Our ambition at Brockwell extends beyond the conventional approach of minimal environmental impact. We aspire to achieve a significant biodiversity net gain that will go well beyond minimum Government requirements. This vision will be realised through the implementation of initiatives such as the introduction of vibrant wildflower meadows, the establishment of biodiverse hedgerows, and the creation of thriving habitats where local wildlife can flourish. In doing so, we aim not only to meet but to exceed our ecological responsibilities, leaving a lasting legacy of environmental enrichment for generations to come.

Brockwell is also working with Rothamsted Research to understand how solar farms can be designed for maximum land use gain across various metrics including CO2 sequestration, soil health, biodiversity, crop/livestock yield, and solar yield.  Brockwell is therefore looking to include new initiatives supported by the research into the proposals for East Park Energy.

A detailed construction dust and vehicle emissions assessment will be submitted with the DCO application which assesses any likely impacts as a result of the development and will set out mitigation measures required to reduce these impacts to acceptable levels.

Typical mitigation measures to control dust may include water spraying over affected areas, lowering the vehicle speed limit along unsurfaced construction routes and regular site inspections.

There will be no air quality or dust management issues during the operational phase of the development as the scheme would not emit any aerial emission and there will only be limited vehicle movements for maintenance, landscape management and repair.

Brockwell places a high priority on limiting noise impacts on the local community and other noise-sensitive areas when designing our solar farms and battery storage schemes. In our commitment to responsible project development, we are acutely aware that solar panels themselves operate silently; however, the inverters and transformers associated with them can emit noise during their operation. To address this, we are taking proactive steps.

Firstly, we have initiated baseline noise monitoring in the surrounding area to establish a comprehensive understanding of the background noise levels. Using this data, we are conducting detailed noise modelling to predict the potential noise generated by East Park Energy’s operations. This assessment allows us to determine whether any significant noise impacts might arise and informs our design process accordingly, to avoid impacts to people’s property.

We are preparing a preliminary Noise Impact Assessment, which will be part of the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR). This report will be shared during our statutory consultation.

All built development, including solar panels, transformers and the battery storage facility, is proposed to be located on land wholly within fluvial Flood Zone 1 which is defined by the Environment Agency as having the lowest risk of flooding.

A Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) and Drainage Strategy will be prepared and included within the DCO application, which will assess any potential impacts which could occur as a result of the development and propose mitigation to reduce any potential impacts. The Drainage Strategy would include SuDS features suitable for the control of surface water run-off at the site.

The independent National Food Strategy Review shows that solar farms do not in any way present a risk to the UK’s food security. Solar farms in the UK currently account for just 0.08% of total land use and this is expected to rise to just 0.5% by 2050 – less than the amount currently used for golf courses.

However, Brockwell has carefully selected the land which will be used for East Park Energy to ensure it is of the lowest agricultural grade where possible, to ensure any potential impact on local food production is minimal. Brockwell is working in partnership with Rothamsted Research, and the scheme will explore ways that solar projects can maximise local biodiversity improvements, carbon sequestration, soil health, and agricultural yields.

Additionally, any areas of the site that are currently used for agricultural purposes would only be temporarily transitioned to solar farm development. This would be reversible after the 40 year project life. Moreover, solar panels would only prevent the farming of arable crops, they would not prevent alternative agricultural use, including sheep grazing.

Solar energy generation will further allow farmers to diversify their income and allow British farmers to continue farming. It is likely that sheep grazing will be a part of the project. With the aid of Rothamsted Research, we are working to identify the most optimum way of doing this to aid biodiversity.

After between one and four years of operating the solar panels will have ‘paid off’ the carbon used in their production.  In terms of recycling, it is now possible to recycle around 99% of the component parts of each solar panel, and there are a growing number of facilities specialising in solar panel recycling.

Solar farms are of a low height, such that they are often not as widely visible as typical residential or employment land uses, or other forms of renewable energy such as wind turbines.

The scheme will affect views at a local level from around the site boundary, and from some nearby properties, footpaths and roads. In the long-term, the impact on some of these views will reduce as our proposed hedgerow and woodland belt improvements establish and reach a height where they ‘screen’ the proposed development.

Photo-realistic visualisations of the scheme will be prepared to help give an understanding of the likely appearance of the solar farm from key viewpoints in the local area. These visualisations will be prepared in advance of the statutory consultation events in 2024.

The greatest potential for highways impacts to occur in connection with a solar development is during the construction phase. As part of last year’s non-statutory consultation, we set out a proposed access strategy that aims to limit the impact of construction traffic on the local highway network.

During this consultation, we proposed that construction traffic would access the site from the A1 via the B645. This strategy would effectively eliminate the need for vehicles to run through neighbouring villages, including Hail Weston, Staunton Highway, Great Staughton, Little Staughton, Keysoe, Swineshead and Riseley.

During the operational phase, we expect that impacts on the road network would be minimal. A scheme of this scale would typically have a small operational workforce of up-to 20 full time employees. As such, only a small number of post-construction vehicle movements would be generated, and this would mainly consist of maintenance vehicles occasionally visiting the site.

Since the close of our consultation in 2023, we have been considering consultation feedback and undertaking additional environmental assessments as we develop our proposals further. We will share more information on our proposals, including further detail on our proposed access to the site, as part of our statutory consultation later this year.

The current scheme are not expected to result in the loss of any Public Right of Way, and the current proposals seek to ensure that such routes would be maintained on their current alignment following construction of East Park Energy, with suitable buffers between footpaths and the solar development areas.

The only potential effects on the access to existing rights of way would be during the construction phase where it is necessary for them to be crossed by cable corridors. However, such effects would be temporary and could be adequately mitigated through careful management of the construction process.