Green Hill Solar Farm

Island Green Power is proposing a new solar farm located to the west and south of Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and north of Milton Keynes. The Scheme has now entered the formal examination stage.

Following our statutory and targeted consultations held earlier this year and in 2024, we submitted our DCO application in May 2025. The Planning Inspectorate accepted the application for examination in June 2025.

With the application now accepted, public involvement will continue through the Examination stage. For further information on how to register as an Interested Party and the latest updates on our application, please visit the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

About Island Green Power

Island Green Power (IGP) is a leading developer of utility-scale solar projects and battery energy storage systems. We operate across the UK. Our mission is to help countries accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to solar power by making more renewable energy possible, drastically reducing carbon emissions and contributing to global net-zero targets.

Since our launch in 2013, we have successfully delivered nearly 40 solar projects worldwide that have generated around 3GW of energy capacity, with many now owned by the largest solar investors. These include 21 solar projects in the UK. Projects range in size from below 5 MW to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) such as the Cottam Solar Project, currently the UK’s largest consented solar project. Cottam will generate 600 MW of clean, renewable and secure electricity, while including 600 MW of battery storage that will store and then release energy as needed.

As a developer, we oversee the entire development process, including securing grid connections, sourcing land and obtaining planning consents. This includes consulting with local communities, stakeholders and policymakers as well as technical experts at multiple stages during the development of our projects to ensure they will enhance the biodiversity of the sites.

Find out more by visiting www.islandgp.com

The need for solar

The way we generate and consume energy is already changing. The move towards renewables and the transition away from fossil fuels is an environmental and economic necessity.

To hit our national net zero targets, boosting our solar generation is essential, as set out in the government’s latest energy strategy, Make Britain a clean energy superpower (2024). We need to get large amounts of renewable energy in the system to help ensure energy security and combat climate change – as well as helping reduce people’s energy bills.

Green Hill Solar Farm would provide a maximum power output of 500 MW, providing a substantial source of renewable electricity for the region and country.

Watch our short video with Martin Clunes as he travels around the British countryside to hear from farmers and landowners about the many benefits of solar energy in the UK.

Our proposals for Green Hill

A nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) with a maximum power output to the grid of 500 MW (megawatts), equivalent to generating power for approximately 115,000 homes.

The Site areas are approximately 1,200 hectares (ha) of predominantly agricultural land, with approximately 550 ha currently being considered for the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and associated infrastructure, and approximately 190 ha of dedicated fields currently being considered for environmental mitigation and enhancement. The remaining areas will consist of existing vegetation, field margin buffers, further vegetation planting (around existing features such as watercourses), areas between panels and internal accesses.

Solar PV panels, electrical substations and a battery energy storage system (BESS) across nine sites, referred to as Green Hill A, A.2, B, C, D, E, F, G and Green Hill BESS.

Storage of up to 500 MW in the BESS, available for deployment to the grid when needed. The proposed location of the BESS is Green Hill BESS. Green Hill C is also being considered for the BESS.

Electrical infrastructure such as conversion units, inverters and substations between 33 kV and 400 kV. Two larger 400 kV substations will be located at the Green Hill C and Green Hill BESS Sites. The proposed locations of the 132 kV substations are within Green Hill A, B, E, F and G, and are shown on the Indicative Masterplan. The locations of the remaining smaller substations of 33 kV will be determined as part of the design process following the statutory consultation.

Underground electrical cabling to connect the nine sites, substations and BESS to the National Grid’s Grendon Substation, located to the north-west of the village of Grendon.

The proposed location of the cable corridor is under consideration and will be determined following ongoing environmental assessments, landowner negotiations and consultation input. The Cable Route Search Area shows the extent of the area that the cable corridor could be located within. The underground cables will range in voltage from 11 kV to 400 kV.

Associated infrastructure, mitigation and enhancement measures, and other ancillary works, for example, fencing, security (including CCTV), local grid connections, temporary access roads, permanent means of access, highway works, temporary works compounds and work sites.

Timeline

Map

Detailed area maps

Consultation

The Scheme is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), which means it must follow the Development Consent Order (DCO) planning process. In May 2025, we submitted our DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), and it was formally accepted for examination in June 2025. The Scheme is now in the Pre-examination stage, where members of the public and stakeholders can register to take part in the process.

Stage 1 was the non-statutory consultation, which was held from March to May 2024. This consisted of engagement with community stakeholders and a series of workshops with local councillors and community organisations to refine the early design proposals for Green Hill Solar Farm. Read more about our approach to the non-statutory consultation here and a summary of the early engagement workshop here.

Stage 2, our statutory public consultation on the proposals for Green Hill Solar Farm, was completed in April 2025. The feedback gathered helped shape the final design, which formed part of our application to the Planning Inspectorate.

The statutory consultation included public and online events and detailed information to help consultees understand the proposals. All comments were carefully considered, and documents in the Consultation Report were submitted alongside the DCO application.

With the application now accepted, the project is moving through the formal examination stages, beginning with the Pre-examination. The public can continue to engage with the application by registering with PINS as an Interested Party and submitting a Relevant Representation.

Consultation by collaboration

We are committed to working with local communities as we develop our proposals for Green Hill Solar Farm.

As part of the non-statutory consultation and our commitment to conduct transparent and effective consultation with local communities, in March and May 2024 we invited local councillors and community organisations to a series of workshops to participate in the early design process.

Collaborating with the local community while we develop our plans has helped us better understand local challenges and aspirations. Read more about our approach to the workshops here.

Since the early engagement workshops in March and May, we have used the feedback we received to inform the design and the site layouts.

The Scheme has evolved to:

reduce landscape and visual impacts
minimise effects on sensitive receptors, such as residential properties
retain existing woodland and hedgerows where possible
utilise existing farm tracks where possible for site access
include proposals for permissive public paths to connect and enhance existing routes.

The Consultation Information Booklet provides a summary of the proposals. All our consultation documents are accessible on the Documents page.

After carrying out detailed assessments and sharing our proposals through early engagement and statutory consultations, we submitted our application in May 2025.

The application has now been accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate. The project is currently in the Pre Examination stage, during which members of the public can register to participate.

Documents

The full application for the Development Consent Order can be found on the Planning Inspectorate website.

Copies of Green Hill Solar Farm documents are available to view and download. If you would like copies of the materials to be sent to you via post or email, please contact the team at info@greenhillsolar.co.uk

Correction on Page 25 of Consultation Information Booklet

On Page 25 of the originally published version of the Consultation Information Booklet, the following statement was included:
“There will also be benefits at a local or district level for species such as bats, brown hare, harvest mouse, hedgehog, polecat, and amphibians during the operational phase.”

This has now been amended to accurately reflect the surveys undertaken. The corrected statement is:
“There will also be benefits at a site to district level for key species such as bats, birds associated with hedgerows and woodland, brown hare, hedgehog, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates during the operational phase.”

We apologise for any confusion caused and thank you for your understanding. If you have any questions, please contact our Community Relations Team via the details provided on this website.

2025

Examination

Rule 6 Notice

Targeted Consultation

Targeted Consultation Feedback Form

Public Consultation Feedback Form

Targeted Consultation Newsletter

Targeted Consultation Information Brochure

Targeted Consultation Leaflet

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