The Project
The proposed Stonestreet Green solar generating station has a rated capacity of 99.9MW, although with the creative use of the so-called degradation concession the actual capacity will be 165MW. The electricity generated from the project will be exported via a cable adjacent to the railway, to the converter station at Sellindge. The contractor, Evolution Power, also plan to deploy a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The 31 batteries will be located in containers throughout the site as shown in the map below. The site (red line on map) will be bounded by security fencing and CCTV cameras. The solar generating station has a planned duration of 40 years and will therefore affect generations to come.
Further information on the project can be found at the Evolution Power Website. The equipment for the project will be brought to site via the Smeeth crossroads on the A20 to a marshalling yard on Station Road on the left hand side just past the bridge over the HS1 railway (see map below). To avoid the tight bends at Evegate Mill Evolution Power intends to build a haul road along the route of an existing footpath to a point close to the junction of Goldwell and Calleywell Lanes. Goldwell Lane will be closed for a significant period of time, during the construction of the 40 acre “outlier” behind Goldwell Manor Farm.
Because the proposed Stonestreet Green Solar generating station has a rated capacity greater than 50MW it is considered to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). The Planning Act 2008 was introduced to streamline the decision making process for major infrastructure projects with the intention of making it fairer and faster for communities and applicants alike! This is in contrast to the adjacent EDF scheme which is less than 50MW and will be processed by Ashford Borough Council under the normal planning process.
There are six stages to the NSIP planning process:
Before submitting an application, applicants have a statutory duty to carry out consultation on their proposals. The length of time taken to prepare and consult on a project will vary depending upon its scale and complexity. Responding to an applicant’s Pre-application consultation is the best time to influence a project, whether you agree with it, disagree with it, or believe it could be improved.
This is the stage we are currently at and Evolution Power have recently announced that they intend to submit their application at the end of April 2024.
The Acceptance stage begins when an applicant submits an application for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate. There follows a period of up to 28 days (excluding the date of receipt of the application) for the Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to decide whether or not the application meets the standards required to be accepted for examination.
An important part of the Acceptance stage is that Ashford Borough Council have to notify the Planning Inspectorate whether they think the consultation process has been carried out adequately. We do not think this is the case and encourage you to email ABC to let them know your views on the matter.
At this stage, the public will be able to register with the Planning Inspectorate to become an Interested Party by making a Relevant Representation. A Relevant Representation is a summary of a person’s views on an application, made in writing. An Examining Authority is also appointed at the Pre-examination stage, and all Interested Parties will be invited to attend a Preliminary Meeting, run and chaired by the Examining Authority. Although there is no statutory timescale for this stage of the process, it usually takes approximately three months from the Applicant’s formal notification and publicity of an accepted application.
The Planning Inspectorate has up to six months to carry out the examination. During this stage Interested Parties who have registered by making a Relevant Representation are invited to provide more details of their views in writing. Careful consideration is given by the Examining Authority to all the important and relevant matters including the representations of all Interested Parties, any supporting evidence submitted and answers provided to the Examining Authority’s questions set out in writing or posed at hearings.
The Planning Inspectorate must prepare a report on the application to the relevant Secretary of State, including a recommendation, within three months of the close of the six month Examination stage. The relevant Secretary of State then has a further three months to make the decision on whether to grant or refuse development consent.
Once a decision has been issued by the relevant Secretary of State, there is a six week period in which the decision may be challenged in the High Court. This process of legal challenge is known as Judicial Review.