Our proposals

Site A

Site A is located west of the B660 between Pertenhall and Swineshead and comprises of arable fields to the north, west and east side of a small hill between Pertenhall and Riseley.

Our proposals in this area include:

• Installation of ground-mounted solar panels, along with associated inverters, transformers and switchgear
• Three temporary construction and decommissioning compounds
• Works to create, enhance and maintain the natural environment, including new hedgerow and tree planting, along with the creation of new diverse grassland meadows to mitigate impacts on ground nesting birds and help deliver biodiversity net gain
• Use of an existing access to Pertenhall Solar Farm off the B660 (Kimbolton Road) for construction, operation and decommissioning works traffic.

Changes since our non-statutory consultation

We have realigned and consolidated some of the fencelines we propose to build around our solar infrastructure in this area, including to avoid development in flood zones. Beyond this, we have not made any major changes to the land we are proposing to use in this area as part of our proposals.

Site B

Site B is located between Pertenhall, Keysoe and Little Staughton. It comprises of arable fields north of an elevated ridgeline that runs between Keysoe and Little Staughton.

Our proposals in this area include:

• Installation of ground-mounted solar panels, along with associated inverters, transformers and switchgear
• An underground cable connection between the eastern edge of Site B and the western edge of Site C, to connect the two sites together
• Five temporary construction and decommissioning compounds, including site offices, delivery areas, car parking and storage
• Works to create, enhance and maintain the natural environment, including new areas of hedgerow and tree planting to provide visual screening and habitat connectivity, along with a new area of species-diverse grassland to help deliver biodiversity net gain, and new permissive pathways across part of the site
• Upgrades to four existing field accesses off Great Staughton Road, three existing field accesses off Little Staughton Road, one existing field access off the B660 (Kimbolton Road) and one existing field access off Spring Hill for construction, operation and or/decommissioning works traffic.

Changes since our non-statutory consultation

We have realigned and consolidated some of the fencelines we propose to build around our solar infrastructure in this area, including to avoid development in fluvial flood zones two and three. Beyond this, we have not made any major changes to the land we are proposing to use in this area as part of our proposals.

Site C

Site C is south of Great Staughton and comprises of arable fields to the south of the River Kym.

Our proposals in this area include:

• Installation of ground-mounted solar panels, along with associated inverters, transformers and switchgear
• An option to install a battery energy storage system (BESS) and on-site substation. The BESS would include battery storage units, transformers, water storage tanks and a control building, whilst the on-site substation would include a control building and electrical equipment. This infrastructure could also be built at a location within Site D
• An underground cable connection between the eastern edge of Site B and the western edge of Site C, and between the eastern edge of Site C and the western edge of Site D, to connect the different sites together
• A temporary secondary construction and decommissioning compound, including site offices, delivery areas, car parking and storage
• Works to create, enhance and maintain the natural environment, including removal of a significant parcel of land around New Wood due to survey work identifying the remains of a probable Roman Small Town beneath this land. We are also proposing new areas of hedgerow and tree planting to provide visual screening, habitat connectivity and to help deliver biodiversity net gain
• Use of an existing access off Great Staughton Road for construction traffic moving between Site B and Site C, and upgrades to an existing access off Moor Road for operation works traffic.

Changes since our non-statutory consultation

In response to the results of archaeological survey work we have removed a significant parcel of land from our proposals in Site C. To compensate for this, we have added an additional parcel of land along the western edge of Site C to our plans. You can read more about this change below. We have also added a new site access to the west of Great Staughton, and altered the route of the underground cable connection between Site B and Site C.

Archaeology findings

Following last year’s non-statutory consultation, archaeological survey work has identified the probable site of a previously unknown Roman Small Town to the north and east of New Wood within Site C. This archaeological feature is likely to be of national significance, so we applied to the Government for the remains to be scheduled, which should give them protection in perpetuity. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed that the site has been given scheduled monument status in September 2024.

As a result of this find, we are no longer proposing to build solar panels on any of the land that has been scheduled, and are instead proposing to seed this area with species-diverse grassland, which would provide ecological benefits and help protect the site from cultivation for the lifetime of the project. Additionally, we will work with Historic England, Cambridgeshire County Council and the landowner on options for how we can maintain this important find in the future. Potential options include providing funding for further research into the findings, along with opportunities for the local community to engage with the findings, such as through planned digs, which would be subject to receipt of Scheduled Monument Consent, and knowledge-sharing events.

The removal of the above land from our proposals would reduce the overall generating capacity of our plans, so we have identified an additional parcel of land at the western edge of Site C for the installation of solar panels. This means that our proposals would still be capable of regularly generating 400 MW of power, thereby enabling us to make best use of the connection agreement we have with National Grid at Eaton Socon substation.

BESS and substation option

At last year’s non-statutory consultation, we proposed to locate the BESS and an internal substation to the south of an area of woodland within Site C (known as Option 1). However, in response to consultation feedback and environmental surveys we are now showing an alternative area within Site D (known as Option 2) where this infrastructure could be located instead. No decision on which site should be taken forward has been made at this stage, and we are seeking your views on which option to proceed with as part of this consultation.

Site D

Site D is between Great Staughton and Hail Weston and comprises of arable fields.

Our proposals in this area include:

• Installation of ground-mounted solar panels, along with associated inverters, transformers and switchgear
• An option to install a battery energy storage system (BESS) and on-site substation. The BESS would include battery storage units, transformers, water storage tanks and a control building, whilst the on-site substation would include a control building and electrical equipment. This infrastructure could also be built at a location within Site C
• An underground cable connection between the eastern edge of Site C and the western edge of Site D, and the western edge of Site D and Eaton Socon substation, where the project would connect into the electricity transmission network
• A temporary primary construction and decommissioning compound, including site offices, delivery areas, car parking and storage
• Works to create, enhance and maintain the natural environment, including new areas of hedgerow and tree planting to provide visual screening and habitat connectivity, along with new species-diverse grassland to help deliver biodiversity net gain
• A new access via the B645 for the primary construction compound, two new accesses off Duloe Road and Bushmead Road, and upgrades to existing accesses off Moor Road, Duloe Road and Bushmead Road for construction, operation and/or decommissioning works traffic.

Changes since our non-statutory consultation

We are no longer proposing to build solar panels on two linear strips of land starting towards the north west and north east corners of Site D, in
order to accommodate easements required for existing buried utilities. We have also consolidated some of the fencelines we propose to build around
our solar infrastructure in this area.

We are now showing an additional location within Site D where the BESS and an internal substation could be located. You can read more about this below. We have also added a new site access to the north of Site D, and altered the route of the underground cable connection between Site C and Site D, and between Site D and Eaton Socon substation.

BESS and substation option

In response to consultation feedback and environmental surveys we are now showing an alternative area within Site D (known as Option 2) where the BESS and an internal substation could be located. At last year’s non-statutory consultation, we only showed a single option for locating this infrastructure at a location within Site C (known as Option 1).

Locating the BESS and internal substation within Site D would make it easier to access the site from the local road network during construction and operation, and in the event that the emergency services needed to access the site. However, the quality of the agricultural land at Option 2 is higher than that at Option 1. No decision on which site should be taken forward has been made at this stage, and we are seeking your views on which option to proceed with as part of this consultation.