Six Oaks Renewable Energy Park

Cambridgeshire, England

Introduction

Ridge Clean Energy are developing a renewable energy park, consisting of a solar farm and battery energy storage system, on land between the A14 and A11, approximately 1km south east of the edge of Bottisham.

The application has now been submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council and is available to view here by searching for Application Reference 22/01291/ESF. You can also view the planning documents on the ‘Documents’ tab of this website. The application has not yet been determined, and this website will be kept up to date posting news on:

The progress of the project will be updated on this website, posting news on:

The Project
Project Timeline
Consultation
Community Partnership

You can contact the project team using the link above with comments, questions, or ideas.

View Site Boundary

Project Outline

The project would be located on privately owned arable land approximately 1km south east of the edge of Bottisham.
The project could generate up to 49.9MW of solar photovoltaic electricity.
The project could host up to 50MW of BESS (Battery Energy Storage System).
It is currently estimated that the solar farm will generate the equivalent electricity needs of approximately 10,700 East Cambridgeshire homes (based on average domestic consumption per household of 4,540kWh p.a., DBEIS 2022).
From the displacement of electricity generated from fossil fuel powered generation, the proposed development would offset the emissions of a significant quantity of carbon dioxide. This reduction in emissions would contribute to the national legislation of net zero emissions by 2050, as well as supporting the climate emergency declared by East Cambridgeshire District Council.
The project would result in a net gain for biodiversity, through new ecological and enhanced planting measures.
Once the renewable energy park is operating, funding will be made available to the local community to help fund community initiatives.

For more information on our community ethos and the community benefit fund for Six Oaks please click the links above.

Infrastructure, Surveys & EIA

Infrastructure

A range of infrastructure will be required as part of the new renewable energy park, which will include ground-mounted solar panels, inverters, a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), transformer units, switch gear and substation, and temporary construction compounds.

Surveys

Our proposals and designs for the site have been guided by data gathered during surveys, technical assessments, and by advice provided by independent environmental consultants. Surveys are now complete and the technical assessment reports accompany our planning application.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

A Screening Request was submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council in January 2022 to determine whether the Six Oaks Renewable Energy Park would require an Environmental Statement. The response received in May 2022 stated that an Environmental Statement is required.

Solar Generation

49.9MW

Battery Storage

50MW

Homes Powered

Up to 10,700

Project Timeline

EIA Screening Request Submitted - January 2022 In January 2022, we submitted an EIA screening request to East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Presentation to Bottisham Parish Council - March 2022 In March 2022, we presented our initial concept to Bottisham Parish Council.

Two Public Exhibitions Held - March 2022 Later in March, we hosted two public exhibitions, one in Bottisham and the other in Great Wilbraham.

Planning Application Submissions - November 2022 We submitted our planning application to East Cambridgeshire District Council in November 2022 (validated on the 18th of November).

Planning Determination - 2023 In autumn 2023, we should receive the outcome of our planning application from East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Consultation

This page will provide updates on the project as it progresses.

Technical site assessments and surveys are now complete. The results have helped to inform the final site design and have been reported as part of our planning application submission to East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Our planning application became a ‘live’ planning application on the 18th November 2022.

The application registration is 22/01291/ESF, and the application can be viewed on the East Cambridgeshire District Council website.

Public Exhibition March 2022

We held two public exhibitions, one at Wilbrahams’ Memorial Hall on Monday 28th March (1pm-8pm) and another at Bottisham Community Sports and Social Club, Poppy Lounge, on Tuesday 29th March (12noon-8pm).

Newsletters March 2022

We delivered over 1500 newsletters to households and businesses nearby the proposed application boundary.

What We Do

Successful projects require alignment of interests amongst landowners, communities, policy makers, and businesses.

The Ridge team works hard to understand interests and build enduring partnerships.

Community Partnerships

As part of our community engagement we have been liaising with local groups and charities and have been pleased to already support important ongoing work locally.

RCE have been sponsors of the Well-brahams Warm Mornings, an initiative to support people during the cost-of-living crisis, offering a warm safe space in the community with refreshments, games and an opportunity to socialize and chat. As one supporter commented, “I enjoy the welcome and the chat. If you live on your own it gives you company and it makes a difference socially”.

We have sponsored ten trees for the Bottisham Village College to be planted in their allotment as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy.

RCE have worked with the Wilbrahams’ Environment Group (WEG) since the start of the project, listening and implementing their ideas with regards to biodiversity enhancement on the site. We have also introduced WEG to their local Wildlife Trust to work on a ‘Nature Recovery Plan’ for the local area.

We hope to continue this fantastic work into the future and look forward to continue supporting local ideas and initiatives and encouraging the community on their path to NetZero.

Community Benefits

During the public exhibitions at Great Wilbraham and Bottisham held in March 2022, the RCE team met many local people and began to learn about the needs of the community and local initiatives.

Since then we have supported the local community by sponsoring the Well-brahams Warm Mornings and by donating to the Bottisham coronation celebrations.

RCE were invited to Great Wilbraham Primary School to deliver a whole school assembly focused on renewable energy and solar power. This was well received by teachers and pupils and we hope to do more work with local schools in the future. RCE are committed to utilizing the educational opportunities that Six Oaks Renewable Energy Park will have to offer from primary level to higher education. To this end, we have also engaged with Bottisham Village college and discussed ways of working together and supporting the college in the future.

Once constructed, Six Oaks Renewable Energy Park would support a community benefit fund of £600 per MW, equating to £30,000 per year for the 49.9MW site. This fund would be managed by Bottisham, Great Wilbraham, and Little Wilbraham and Six Mile Bottom Parish Councils and would be used to support local initiatives in the area.

If you have any ideas on how we can support your local area, please complete our Local Community Survey below.

Our Experience

We have an experienced Community Partnership Team that work with local communities to create enduring local benefits.

Each project is assigned a Community Partnership Coordinator, who will forge relationships with key stakeholders in the area to identify and develop local initiatives and ideas that will support the community and its path to Net Zero.

Alongside our experience, we can also provide up-front seed capital and support with fundraising for local projects, allowing a community to benefit right from the beginning of the partnership.

Bottisham Village College pupils plant trees in honour of the Queen’s Green Canopy

In February this year, pupils from Bottisham Village School planted ten fruit trees – a selection of apple, pear and gages – on their temporary allotment at Anglesey Abbey. The trees were sponsored by Ridge Clean Energy and were planted to support the late Queen’s Green Canopy project ( see map here ). They will be moved to the school site when more robust and established.

This unique tree planting initiative was created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, and to draw attention to the two greatest challenges facing humankind: climate change and the decline in biodiversity. The project has created a living legacy of over one million trees planted in Her Majesty’s name across the nation, serving as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty’s extraordinary service to her country and her people.

As a company, Ridge Clean Energy are committed to improving our environment for the benefit of wildlife and future generations and as such are pleased to work with Bottisham Village College to support this worthwhile project.

March 2023

Daniela Jenkins BEM (Community Partnership Lead)

Community Survey

Project Documents

Below are the application documents that were submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council in November 2022.

Please note that any comments sent via the channels outlined above do not constitute a formal representation to the Local Planning Authority. There will be an opportunity to submit formal representations to the Local Planning Authority upon submission of a planning application.

Comments

Providing comments or requesting a call back from a member of the project team using the forms below.

Email

Email us a comment or enquiry via the following email address sixoaks@theridgegroup.com.

Post

Or write to: Ridge Clean Energy, Noah's Ark, Market Street, Charlbury, OX7 3PL.