The Fenwick Solar Farm Order 2026 (SI 2026/151) has been made by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and comes into force on 11 March 2026. The Development Consent Order (DCO) authorises Fenwick Solar Project Limited to construct, operate, maintain and decommission a ground‑mounted solar photovoltaic generating station exceeding 50 megawatts in the City of Doncaster. The decision follows examination under the Planning Act 2008 and consideration of environmental information.
The authorised works cover solar arrays and field stations (Work No. 1), a battery energy storage system with fire‑safety infrastructure (Work No. 2), and an on‑site substation and control facilities (Work No. 3). Grid connection must be achieved by either a 400kV cable route to National Grid’s Thorpe Marsh Substation (Work No. 4) or a connection to an existing on‑site 400kV overhead line tower (Work No. 5(b))-but not both. Associated development includes access formation, internal tracks, temporary compounds, drainage and habitat works (Works Nos. 5 to 9).
The Order confers the power to operate and maintain the generating station and enables street works, temporary traffic regulation, temporary closure and diversion of specified streets and public rights of way, and use of private roads during construction. Certain consents and byelaws are disapplied where expressly stated, and buildings within the project are deemed, for Community Infrastructure Levy purposes, to be ones that people do not normally enter, or only intermittently for inspection or maintenance.
A five‑year commencement window applies from the date the Order takes effect. The undertaker must notify the relevant planning authority-City of Doncaster Council-of the date of final commissioning within 10 working days. A community liaison group must be established before commencement. Detailed design approvals are required prior to starting each part, covering layout, scale, finished levels, appearance, access and parking, lighting, drainage, security measures and noise mitigation, all in line with the environmental statement and the certified outline design parameters.
Key environmental management plans are mandatory. These include a Construction Environmental Management Plan, an Operational Environmental Management Plan before final commissioning, a Soil Management Plan, a Construction Traffic Management Plan, a Public Rights of Way Management Plan and a Drainage Strategy. An Archaeological Mitigation Strategy and site‑specific written schemes of investigation must be approved, with works undertaken by accredited organisations. A Battery Safety Management Plan for the energy storage system requires consultation with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and the Environment Agency and must be implemented through construction, operation and decommissioning of the battery facilities.
The Order mandates measurable biodiversity outcomes. A Biodiversity Net Gain strategy must secure at least 20% net gain for habitat units, 20% for hedgerow units and 10% for watercourse units, calculated using Defra’s Statutory Metric (July 2025) or a replacement metric agreed with the authority. Landscape and ecological management must follow the certified framework plan and be maintained throughout operation.
Highway and traffic provisions are extensive. The project may carry out street works on listed streets, alter layouts and place temporary signs and signals. The local permit scheme applies with modifications: permits cannot be refused on moratorium grounds, and alternative permit conditions must be negotiated within set timeframes. Temporary traffic regulation for construction requires consultation with the police and the traffic authority, four weeks’ written notice, and public/site notices five working days before measures take effect. Rights of way can be closed, diverted or, where specified, used by motor vehicles during works, with replacement routes secured and definitive map updates provided.
Compulsory acquisition powers cover land, rights and restrictive covenants within defined limits, alongside the ability to acquire subsoil only and to override easements. Temporary possession powers support construction and maintenance, with restoration duties and compensation. Protective works to buildings may be undertaken before or during construction and for up to five years after final commissioning, with compensation where applicable. A five‑year time limit governs service of notices to treat and general vesting declarations. Before exercising land and rights powers the undertaker must have a Secretary of State‑approved guarantee or alternative security for compensation liabilities; no security is required beyond 15 years after the relevant power is exercised.
Water environment controls require consent for discharges to watercourses, sewers or drains, and compliance with Environment Agency and drainage authority protective provisions. Works near main rivers are restricted without prior written consent, and the Order disapplies specified drainage legislation only where expressly provided. Noise from construction and operation benefits from a qualified statutory nuisance defence when carried out under approved controls or where it cannot reasonably be avoided.
Tree and hedgerow provisions allow felling, lopping and removal within the Order limits where necessary for construction, maintenance or safety, subject to avoiding unnecessary damage and paying compensation. Trees subject to a Tree Preservation Order are generally protected; however, where a TPO was made after 31 October 2024, works may proceed where necessary for the authorised development, with deemed consent and compensation conditions.
Protective provisions apply for statutory bodies and utilities, including the Environment Agency, drainage authorities, Network Rail, Exolum Pipeline System Ltd, National Grid Electricity Transmission plc and Northern Powergrid. They secure approvals, set design and working methods near critical apparatus, allocate costs and indemnities, and require insurance or security in defined cases. National Grid must approve the specified 400kV connection works, submissions must follow agreed channels, and electromagnetic interference safeguards apply near rail communications. Utilities retain access rights during street closures, and relocation or protection of apparatus follows defined procedures.
Governance of approvals is time‑limited. Applications to discharge ‘requirements’ generally carry an eight‑week decision period; where that period expires without a decision, approvals are deemed granted unless the application would give rise to materially new or different environmental effects compared with the environmental statement, in which case a deemed refusal applies. A fast‑track appeal route to an appointed person is available, with set deadlines for submissions and decisions. Disputes under the Order default to arbitration on a document‑only timetable, with an indicative four‑month period to award.
Two final timing anchors matter for operators and local stakeholders. Construction must begin by March 2031 to remain within the commencement window, subject to discharging pre‑commencement requirements. Decommissioning must start no later than 40 years after the date of final commissioning, following approval of a Decommissioning Environmental Management Plan that addresses resource use and waste, and after consultation with the relevant highway and environmental bodies.
For project managers, the immediate tasks ahead of 11 March 2026 are to finalise the suite of framework‑based plans for approval, agree any street permitting conditions with the highway authority within the modified timelines, confirm whether the grid connection is via Work No. 4 or Work No. 5(b), and put compensation security in place before exercising land powers. For residents and landowners, the Order signals periods of managed traffic control, temporary rights of way changes and a formal liaison route via the community group overseen by the local planning authority.