Helios Renewable Energy Project 7.11.24

HELIOS RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT – EN010140
RULE 13(6) OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING (EXAMINATION PROCEDURE) RULES 2010
NOTICE OF HEARINGS RELATING TO THE PROPOSED HELIOS RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT DEVELOPMENT CONSENT ORDER

Notice is hereby given that, at the dates, times and locations set out below, the Examining Authority (appointed by the Secretary of State) will be holding the hearing set out in the table below as part of the examination of an application made by Enso Green Holdings D Limited of 17th Floor Hylo, 103-105 Bunhill Row, London, United Kingdom, EC1Y 8LZ (“the Applicant”) for a Development Consent Order (“DCO”) under section 14, 15 and 37 of the Planning Act 2008 (“the Application”) for the development of the Helios Renewable Energy Project (“The Proposed Development”). The Application was made on the 2 July 2024 and was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate on the 30 July 2024 and given reference EN010140.

Summary of the Helios Renewable Energy Project
The Proposed Development comprises the installation of ground mounted solar arrays, battery energy storage system and associated development comprising grid connection infrastructure and other associated infrastructure including inverters, transformers, switchgear, storage containers, cabling, fencing and CCTV which are integral to the construction, operation (including maintenance) and decommissioning of the Proposed Development for the delivery of over 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity.  
The site of the Proposed Development is situated on approximately 475 ha of land to the south-west of the village of Camblesforth and to the north of the village of Hirst Courtney, within the administrative area of North Yorkshire Council. Underground cabling will run from an on-site substation to a grid connection at the National Grid Drax Substation (located to the west of Drax Power Station) and will be situated within the highway and offroad.
As the Proposed Development would be an onshore generating station with a generating capacity of over 50MW it constitutes a Nationally Strategic Infrastructure Project (“NSIP”) for which an application for a DCO has been made under the Planning Act 2008 to the Planning Inspectorate, for determination by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The DCO, if granted, would authorise the compulsory acquisition of rights over land (including the imposition of restrictive covenants), and powers for the temporary possession and use of land. The DCO would also authorise alterations to the layout of streets, the construction of temporary and permanent accesses to the Proposed Development, the temporary stopping up or diversion of public rights of way (and vehicular access to be taken over such rights of way), street and highway works, the removal of hedgerows and the application and disapplication of legislation.

Environmental Impact Assessment
The Proposed Development is EIA development, as defined in the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017, and therefore the application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement and Non-Technical Summary.

The Examining Authority has given notice of the following hearings:

If you wish to attend and/or participate in any or all of the above hearings you must register by completing the Planning Inspectorate’s event participation form on the Planning Inspectorate’s project webpage for the Proposed Development: (https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010140).    
Please contact the Planning Inspectorate using the contact details at the bottom of this notice if you require any support or assistance to attend any of the hearings, either virtually or in person. Interested Parties and Affected Persons wishing to speak at any or all of the above hearings should notify the Planning Inspectorate by Procedural Deadline A (Monday 25 November 2024).
If you only intend to observe the hearings virtually then you do not need to register as you will be able to watch a livestream of the events. A link to a livestream for each hearing will be made available on the Planning Inspectorate’s project webpage for the Proposed Development shortly before each event is due to open. The physical venue referred to above will also be open to the public.
Virtual Registration using Microsoft Teams — All virtual participants will be required to take part in a registration process which will be held with the Case Team before the start of each session of each hearing. This gives time for the Case Team to admit everyone to the hearing.
Cancellation Of Hearing — If any of the Hearings are no longer required, reasonable notice will be provided of the Planning Inspectorate’s decision to cancel them by the posting of a banner on the Planning Inspectorate’s project webpage for the Proposed Development.
Any Hearings further to those listed will be advertised by one or more further notices. In accordance with Rule 13(3) of the Infrastructure Planning (Examination Procedure) Rules 2010, as amended, the Planning Inspectorate will also notify interested parties (and where relevant, affected persons) of the date, time and place fixed for each hearing.
The initial dates of any further hearings, where necessary, including Issue Specific Hearings, Compulsory Acquisition Hearings and any further Open Floor Hearings, have been reserved for the week commencing 10 March 2025, and week commencing 14 April 2025. The final details of the hearings will be publicised by similar notices at appropriate times once the hearing programme has been confirmed.
Viewing the Application Documents
The application form and its accompanying documents (such as the draft DCO, Land Plans, Book of Reference, Funding Statement, Statement of Reasons and Environmental Statement), plans and maps are available to view electronically and download, free of charge, under the “Documents” tab on the Planning Inspectorate’s project webpage for the Proposed Development:
https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010140/documents
All further documents submitted in the course of the examination of the Application will also be published in the Examination Library which can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s project webpage for the Proposed Development under the “Documents” tab. The Examination Library is updated regularly throughout the examination.
The same documents, plans and maps can also be viewed free of charge electronically on the Inspectorate’s website at the following locations:

A complete set of the Application documents can be made available in hard copy format on request at a cost of £5,000. Copies of individual documents are also available on request and a reasonable printing charge may apply. The Applicant will also consider any reasonable requests for bespoke or hard copy document formats (for example in large print, audio or braille formats). An electronic copy of the Application documents can be supplied free of charge on a USB memory stick. In relation to any request, please contact the Applicant using the contact details set out at the end of this notice.
Further information
Further information about the application, the hearings and how to take part in the Examination and any other matters covered in this notice may be obtained from the Planning Inspectorate or the Applicant using the following contact details: