Fresh planning delay for UK’s biggest solar farm

The government has shelved a planning decision on proposals for the UK’s biggest solar farm for a second time.

Under the statutory process for national infrastructure projects, ministers were due to make a decision by 7 December on the development consent order (DCO) for the Sunnica Energy Farm, which is being lined up for the border between west Suffolk and east Cambridgeshire.

This already marked a delay following September’s announcement by junior energy minister Lord Callanan that the government had been unable to make a decision within the three-month deadline following June’s submission of a report on Sunnica’s scheme by a planning inspector.

In a written statement to the House of Commons, energy secretary Claire Coutinho set a new deadline for the DCO to be decided by 7 March.

Sunnica’s plans would see around 2,500 acres covered by solar panels across three sites located near Newmarket.

The scheme would, if constructed, be more than 10 times the size of the Shotwick solar park in Flintshire, currently reckoned to be the largest in the UK.

Sunnica’s plans have met heavy opposition from local MPs, including culture secretary Lucy Frazer and former health secretary Matt Hancock.

Responding to the delay, Sam Richards founder and director of the Britain Remade campaign, said: “We may have a new secretary of state for energy security and net zero, but another delay to a vital clean energy project just goes to show how our broken planning system is stopping us from becoming energy security and cutting energy bills for millions of people.

“While countries across the globe are racing to install more and more clean energy, here all we ever get when it comes to these major infrastructure projects is dither and delay.

“If the government is serious about energy security, it’s time to stop the delays and speed up the planning process for all sources of clean power.”