The proposed development would include the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of a grid connected solar farm facility. Located between Felsted and Bartholomew Green, the site would have the capacity to generate up to 98 MW of electricity, enough to power over 45,000 typical family homes per year*.

The emissions savings are equivalent to removing over 15,000 cars from the roads, or over 32,000 tonnes of CO2e.**

This project is in its early stages and we are committed to ensuring our proposals are sensitive to the local area and the environment.

We will be holding a statutory consultation in Summer 2025, further details of which we will be sharing in the coming months.

*Presuming a 15% capacity/load factor across a single year, based upon average domestic electricity consumption per home (temperature corrected) as per Energy Consumption in the UK (published September 2024, Table C9 of ECUK: Consumption data tables).

**This assumes no emissions associated with the solar PV generation.

There are several factors that influence the location of a solar farm. The relevant National Policy Statement (NPS EN-3) sets the key factors influencing site selection and design for large scale solar development such as land features, grid connection and amount of available sunlight.

There are limited locations within the UK that can satisfy all characteristics, and therefore solar developments are proposed at locations which have a blend of the required characteristics.

The proposed development will have a limited environmental impact and can be connected to the electricity grid at Braintree substation. Obtaining voluntary land agreements for the main solar site is also a key influencing factor for the siting of the proposed development.

The land parcels that form the site were originally selected with the intention of securing planning permission via the Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) route, for two separate solar farms.

The Project team has continued to review land requirements since acquiring the projects from the previous developer, leading to the introduction of additional land parcels.

As such, the previous two sites have now been combined to form one site. The suitability of the site is a factor that the Secretary of State will consider once the application has been submitted. The proposed development is temporary and therefore will not involve the permanent loss of land.

The site will be 98 MW, located between Felsted and Bartholomew Green, enough to power over 45,000 typical family homes per year (Based upon average domestic electricity consumption per home (temperature corrected) as per Energy Consumption in the UK (published September 2024, Table C9 of ECUK: Consumption data tables)*.

This equates to an emissions saving equivalent to removing over 15,000 cars from the roads, or over 32,000 tonnes of CO2e.**

*Presuming a 15% capacity/load factor across a single year.

**This assumes no emissions associated with the solar PV generation.

Panel technology is rapidly evolving and therefore procurement decisions and final specification of individual elements are typically taken receiving consent. However we estimate that the project will likely require approximately 200,000 to 210,000 solar panels based on currently available technology.

The Hedgehog Grove Solar Farm is only temporary and will be decommissioned and returned to full agricultural land once it’s come to the end of its useful life, in approximately 30 years.

We are in the process of putting together some visualisations and will share these with you as soon as we can to help you visualise how the site will look from different viewpoints.

We are at the early stages of the process therefore information is quite high-level at this stage. However, our team is working hard behind the scenes to pull together more detailed plans, visualisations and information. We are committed to providing more detailed information as part of a public consultation in Summer 2025.

You can find out more about our consultation on our Process page.

Over the next few months, we will be running targeted Community Liaison Groups to seek input and feedback. We will formally consult local people in Summer 2025 ahead of submitting a Development Consent Order application at the end of 2025.

Our timeline may be seen at the bottom of the Project page.

Due to the amount of energy the project would generate, it is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This means that to gain planning permission to build and operate the project, we will submit a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Secretary of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero. The DCO is a statutory instrument determined by the Secretary of State, based on a recommendation made by a panel of examining inspectors following a thorough assessment of the Proposed Development’s environmental, social and economic impacts. This process ensures that the Proposed Development meets strict standards while balancing national needs and community concerns, providing a clear and efficient pathway for delivering critical infrastructure.

The two previous applications ‘Drapers Chase Solar Farm’ and ‘Poplars Solar Farm’ were initially developed as two local planning applications each capable of producing up to 49.9MW of electricity with one electricity connection to Braintree substation.

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) confirmed that the two projects form one Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) due to the single point of connection and combined generating capacity exceeding 50 MW. Ongoing discussions between TotalEnergies and landowners have also increased the project extent from the previous proposals.

The DCO process ensures that local people are consulted properly and can influence the proposals. TotalEnergies is committed to an inclusive consultation process that will ensure the voices of the local residents are heard.

No, not at all. Combining projects makes planning easier to manage and more efficient. The projects have been combined due to confirmation from the Planning Inspectorate that, as the site is over 50MW, it is legally classified as an NSIP.

Feedback was given to the previous developer, but now that we have one single combined project with additional land parcels, the project has evolved, and we would like to understand views on the revised project proposals. We are, however, streamlining engagement and consultation, keeping it focused and proportionate to minimise consultation fatigue.

The two previous applications ‘Drapers Chase Solar Farm’ and ‘Poplars Solar Farm’ were initially developed as two local planning applications each producing up to 49.9MW of electricity with one electricity connection to Braintree substation. The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) confirmed that the two projects form one NSIP due to the single point of connection and combined generating capacity exceeding 50MW. The new project incorporates both of these projects, as well as additional land parcels in between, combining the site area into one single site.

The DCO process includes comprehensive consultation requirements that allow the public and stakeholders to input into the planning process. TotalEnergies is committed to an inclusive consultation process that will ensure the voices of the local residents are heard.

No. While we have used some of the survey data provided by the previous projects, our proposals have been prepared by a new team. By uniting the two proposals into one, and the inclusion of additional land parcels, our project will be considerably different to those previously proposed.

The project will include underground cabling to connect into the UKPN network at the Braintree 132kV substation. As part of the design process, several cable corridor options have been identified which are being considered further by the Project team.

We are currently investigating cable route options. More detail on these routes will be provided as part of the statutory consultation.

Yes, in order to step-up our electricity to join the grid, we will be including a small substation within our proposals. This will be sited well away from households and footpaths. We are also assessing the most suitable location for the substation, within the existing constraints of the Site.

We will be protecting all existing permissive pathways and Public Rights of Way (PRoW). We aim to keep all footpaths open but may require temporary closure and/or diversion during construction. There are currently six footpaths within the Poplar’s parcel, and four within the Draper’s Chase parcel.  We recognise the importance of these footpaths and the proximity of the proposals to the Flitch Way National Trail, and have therefore invited the local Friends of Flitch Way group to attend our Community Liaison Group. We will ensure that there is a minimum of 15m distance from footpaths to PV panels.

Access into the Site is proposed via three existing field entrances. These are proposed as follows: from Rayne Road (along the southern boundary) and the B1417 (along northwestern boundary), and via Drapers Chase.

We are still exploring access options, we will provide more details during our statutory consultation.

The solar farm is a temporary development and will not change the land classification from agricultural greenfield to commercial/industrial brownfield. When the solar farm has been decommissioned, we will be required to restore the land to sole agricultural use.

The solar farm is  temporary. As part of this project, habitats will be enhanced and the land will be rested, which in the long-term will improve the soil structure and nutrient levels, ready for when the site is returned to full agricultural use at the end of the solar farm’s lifespan.

Solar farms currently account for around 0.1% of the total land area of the UK. The Government targets for a fivefold increase in solar would result in 0.3% of the UK land area being used by solar (Carbon Brief, 2022). This is the equivalent to around half of the space currently used by golf courses.

The solar farm provides the opportunity to keep the land free from intensive farming practices and chemicals, allowing species to thrive and soil quality to improve. Biodiversity net-gain will be achieved by new and improved hedgerow, habitats, and tree planting. These enhancements will include:

• New planting to support a diverse range of critical invertebrate species and encourage new species along the site boundary;

• Wildlife corridors and the installation of bat and bird nesting boxes, woodpiles, and beehives along the site boundary;

• Additional measures to protect and enhance the hedgehog population on-site.

We anticipate that these measures will result in a biodiversity net gain beyond the government’s 10% mandatory requirements.

Our design team is working hard to minimise the visual impact of the scheme. The low-level panels will ensure that a significant portion of the site remains hidden from view in nearby residential areas and surrounding villages. A comprehensive Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA) will be conducted as part of the Development Consent Order (DCO) application and will consider all the overall visual effects.

Mitigation measures, such as new trees and hedgerows, will be planted to minimise the visual impact of the proposal and enhance the local green infrastructure network.

A Transport Assessment will be carried out, which fully considers the local network capacity and safety. A Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) will be agreed and implemented to ensure impacts are minimal.  Mitigation measures could include using a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) booking system and restricting arrival and departure of construction traffic during rush hour or peak school times. We will work closely with the Local Highways Authority to compile the CTMP and take on board any feedback from local people during the public engagement phase.

No, there will not be any removal of existing woodland.

At this point, the project is still in the early stages of its development. Throughout the project’s development, the proposed design will be updated and refined, based on feedback from the community and ongoing environmental assessments.

We will be able to provide additional levels of detail as the design matures. As a result, there will be some details of the final design which we may be unable to answer, as they have not yet been decided. We will have more information at the next consultation. We encourage the community and other stakeholders to provide feedback at each stage of the project’s development.