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Further scrutiny into a large-scale renewable energy project planned for the Wiltshire countryside has been carried out by government officials.
A second round of hearings has taken place into Island Green Power’s 500MW Lime Down Solar Project, proposed near Malmesbury, as part of a six-month Planning Inspectorate examination.
The proposal, affecting around 1,850 acres of countryside, would encircle villages in Wiltshire with solar panels, battery storage systems, substations, and a 22km connection route to the grid at Melksham.
Last week’s hearings focused on compulsory acquisition of land and rights, an open floor session for public views, and issue‑specific technical hearings on topics including environmental impacts, transport and ecology, and the draft Development Consent Order.
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South Cotswolds MP Roz Savage gave the opening statement at the public hearing, telling inspectors that she opposes the current plans while making clear that opposition to this development is not opposition to renewable energy.
“With no meaningful return for local communities and no serious consideration of food security, biodiversity, or landscape, the plans in their current state are not fit for purpose,” said the MP, who has been a consistent and vocal critic of the Lime Down proposals since entering Parliament.
Sir Mike Pitt, speaking on behalf of Stop Lime Down, said: “These hearings are a crucial opportunity for the proposals put forward by the developer to be scrutinised and challenged.
“The Planning Inspectorate is looking for information from experts across a series of issues on how the scheme would impact the local area in question.”
Close to 5,000 objections have been submitted, with landowners, residents, businesses, and experts citing concerns about the impact on agricultural land, the rural landscape, and life in adjacent villages.
During the hearing at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre at Lydiard Fields, just outside Swindon, landowners along the cable route voiced objections to the compulsory purchase of parts of their land, warning of disruption to commercial operations and personal livelihoods.
Sir Mike said: “It is promising to hear the line of questioning from the Examiners and how they have challenged some of the most pressing aspects of this industrial-scale solar generation site, that would impact such a large area of Wilshire countryside, effectively turning green fields and rural communities into an enormous power generation site.”
Further hearings featured environmental, landscape, and transport specialists, who raised concerns about the scheme’s proximity to the Cotswold National Landscape.
Although many acknowledged the importance of solar energy within the UK’s energy mix, they argued that the location and size of the proposed scheme make it unsuitable for this part of Wiltshire.
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Members of the public and experts will now submit written statements to the Planning Inspectorate by July 10.
This will prompt a further exchange of questions and comments from examiners to other parties throughout July and August.
Additional hearings, open to the public, are scheduled for September.
The Planning Inspectorate’s examination will conclude on October 21, after which it will send a formal recommendation to the Secretary of State.
A final decision is not expected until spring 2027.
For the latest public notices and planning applications in your area, visit www.publicnoticeportal.uk
If approved, the project would take up nearly 2,000 acres of land with 4.5-metre-high solar panels, inverters, transformers, a 1,000MWh battery storage system, and supporting infrastructure.
The developer first applied for a Development Consent Order in September 2025.
Because of its size, the proposal is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under UK planning law, meaning the final decision is made by the Secretary of State rather than the local authority
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