Cambridge - Planning Applications For Development Management Procedure

KINGSWAY SOLAR FARM

The Planning Act 2008 - Sections 47 and 48

The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 - Regulation 4

Notice of Publication of a Statement of Community Consultation and Notice Publicising a Proposed Application for a Development Consent Order

Kingsway Solar Farm

Notice is hereby given that Kingsway Solar Farm Limited of 10 Lower Thames Street, London, England, EC3R 6AF (the ‘Applicant’) intends to submit an application (the ‘Application’) to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (the ‘SoS’) for a Development Consent Order (‘DCO’) under Section 37 of the Planning Act 2008 (the ‘2008 Act’).

In accordance with section 47 of the Act, this notice publicises where and when the Statement of Community Consultation (SoCC) can be inspected. The SoCC sets out how the Applicant will undertake its consultation with people in the vicinity of the Application.

Additionally, the Applicant has a duty to publicise the Application under section 48 of the Act in line with Regulation 4 of the 2009 Regulations. 

In accordance with those provisions, this notice also summarises the main proposals and explains where the consultation documents can be viewed.

Summary of proposed works
The land required for the Application is located within the administrative boundaries of Cambridgeshire County Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, and East Cambridgeshire District Council.

The Application comprises the construction, operation (including maintenance) and decommissioning of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and approximately 15 km of overhead line connection into the planned National Grid Burwell South substation (due to be located south of the existing Burwell substation, the exact location yet to be confirmed by National Grid) (the ‘Scheme’). The Scheme will also include associated infrastructure, including co-located battery energy storage systems (BESS) and inter-array connections to link together the land parcels where solar panels are located. The Scheme would have capacity to generate around 500 megawatts (MW) of electricity for export to the National Electricity Transmission System (NETS).

The solar PV panels and associated BESS would be located within three land parcels (A, B, and C), referred to collectively as the Developable Area. The Scheme would also include “Inter-Array Areas” which are the indicative areas within which connection cables would link the land parcels of the Developable Area. The configuration of the Inter-Array Areas would be either overhead lines (up to 132kV), underground cabling (up to 132kV), or a combination of both. The grid connection corridor is the area between the Developable Area and the proposed National Grid Burwell South substation in which a 400kV overhead line could be located.

The DCO will include powers for the compulsory acquisition of land and/or rights in, on, under or over land required for the Scheme, as well as rights authorising the temporary occupation of land for the Scheme. However, it is noted the Applicant has prioritised, and continues to prioritise, obtaining any land and/or rights required via voluntary agreement in the first instance. 

Other powers that the DCO may seek include the extinguishment and/or overriding of easements and other rights over or affecting land required for the Scheme; the application and/or disapplication of legislation relevant to the Scheme; the temporary stopping up or diversion of public footpaths during construction works; permanent and temporary alterations to the highway network for and in the vicinity of the Scheme, and such ancillary, incidental and consequential works, provisions, permits, consents, waivers or releases as are necessary and convenient for the successful construction, operation and maintenance of the Scheme.

The Scheme is an Environmental Impact Assessment Development (‘EIA development’) as defined by the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (the ‘EIA Regulations’) and an Environmental Statement (‘ES’) will form part of the Application. 

The Applicant has notified the SoS in writing under Regulation 8(1)(b) of the EIA Regulations that it intends to provide an ES in respect of the Scheme. The ES will provide a detailed description of the Scheme and its likely significant environmental effects. Information compiled so far about the Scheme’s likely environmental impacts is contained in a Preliminary Environmental Information Report (‘PEIR’) and summarised in a Non- Technical Summary, both of which form part of the consultation material.

Consultation
The Applicant is undertaking a statutory consultation on the proposals for Kingsway Solar Farm between midday on Wednesday 17 September and Wednesday 29 October 2025 (the ‘Consultation Period’). Responses must be received no later than 11:59pm on 29 October 2025 and responses received after that date may not be considered.

The consultation documents show the nature and location of the Project and will include plans, the PEIR and its Non-Technical Summary, among other documents (‘the Consultation Documents’).

How to view the SoCC and Consultation Documents
The Consultation Documents are available to view or download free of charge from www.kingswaysolarfarm.co.uk (the ‘Scheme website’) throughout the duration of the Consultation Period, from midday on 17 September 2025 to 11:59pm on 29 October 2025.

Hard copies of the Consultation Documents, including the Statement of Community Consultation, will be deposited at the locations listed below at the start of the Consultation Period.

Venue opening times are correct at the time of publication. The Applicant recommends contacting the venue to check the opening times before visiting, especially over bank holidays.

The Applicant is hosting four in person public consultation events, where the Consultation Documents will be available to view:

Details are correct at the time of publication and are unlikely to change. Any updates will be reflected on the Scheme website, which the Applicant recommends to check for the most current details before attending.

The Applicant will also upload an online information presentation to the Scheme website during the consultation period which will provide an overview of our proposals and where to find out more information, including how to take part in the consultation.

All Consultation Documents, including the SoCC, will be available online to view on the Scheme website (www.kingswaysolarfarm.co.uk), and in hard copy at no extra charge (except the PEIR and NTS, hard copies of which can be requested for a charge of £0.35 per page to cover printing and posting costs). If you require this information in an alternative format, such as Braille, large print or alternative languages, please contact us using the details in this letter.

Responding to this consultation
Comments and representations may be submitted in the following ways:

Feedback Form: Download or complete the Feedback Form at the Scheme website www.kingswaysolarfarm.co.uk; or it can be completed and left at the consultation event; or it is available on request from the project team either at an event or via phone or email.

By email or post: Completed Feedback Forms, and any other comments, can be emailed to enquiries@kingswaysolar.co.uk or returned by post (no stamp required) to FREEPOST DOWNING KINGSWAY.

Responses must be received by the Applicant by no later than 11:59pm on Wednesday 29 October 2025. The Applicant will have regard to all responses when developing the proposals for the Scheme once the consultation has closed. Responses will be reported in a Consultation Report which will form part of the Application. This will be taken into consideration by the Planning Inspectorate when deciding whether the Application can be accepted for examination. Therefore, in providing any comment, it should be noted that the substance of it may be communicated to others as part of the Consultation Report.

Personal data supplied to the Applicant in response to this consultation will be treated confidentially and processed and handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR. The information may be disclosed to or shared with the Applicant’s connected companies, agents, contractors and advisors who provide services to the Applicant in connection with the preparation of an application for development consent under the 2008 Act. This will allow the Applicant to fully consider the responses and use them in the preparation of application materials. Upon submission of the Application, the SoS may require the Applicant to supply copies of all consultation responses received. 

If a request is made, the Applicant is under a legal obligation to supply such copies. By submitting a consultation response to the Applicant, you understand that we may supply a copy of your response to the SoS via the Planning Inspectorate if required.

How to contact us
If you have any questions about this notice, the consultation, or the Scheme, please contact the Applicant by using one of the contact methods provided below:

Email: enquiries@kingswaysolar.co.uk
Telephone: 0800 012 9881
Postal address: FREEPOST DOWNING KINGSWAY (no stamp needed)
September 2025