East Park Energy is a proposal for a 1900 acre solar plant to the north of Richard's constituency. The proposed site is larger than Gatwick Airport and would significantly alter the landscape of North Bedfordshire. Notably, around 74% of the site is classified as Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land.
Since becoming aware of the proposal in October 2023, Richard has engaged with local residents to understand their views on it. In November 2023, he met with the Parish Councils of Little Staughton, Dean and Shelton, Swineshead and Pertenhall, and Bolnhurst and Keysoe for the first time to hear residents’ concerns and discuss the potential impact of the scheme.
Through these discussions, Richard gathered feedback on the proposal and raised these issues at a national level. Richard has raised East Park Energy in his Parliamentary Questions about avoiding Best and Most Versatile land, using agricultural land for solar developments, and clustering of solar developments for connection to the grid. Richard also raised East Park Energy in a Westminster Hall debate about the use of large scale solar developments. Following discussions with the original developer, RNA Energy, Richard published his correspondence with the company and their responses to his questions to ensure transparency for residents.
Although RNA Energy declined Richard’s recommendation to hold public meetings, he remained proactive and convened a further meeting with local Parish Councils to discuss next steps. He has continued to meet with parish representatives and local campaigners.
After Brockwell Energy acquired the project, Richard met with the company in May 2024 to convey constituents’ concerns and urge meaningful engagement with local residents. He has continued to advocate for community involvement, transparency, and accountability throughout the project’s development.
Within days of the General Election on 4 July 2024, the new Labour Government approved three large-scale solar farm projects elsewhere in the country - in Lincolnshire, Rutland and Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. In light of this, Richard again met with the East Park Energy project owners and affected Parish Councils to discuss the implications for the proposal and how residents’ voices could be better reflected in the planning process. To read more about the national context and the work Richard has been doing on this, please visit his Solar Farms webpage.
The statutory consultation for East Park Energy was held from Tuesday 24 September 2024 to Tuesday 29 October 2024. Richard objected to the proposals, and his submission can be read here.
In February last year, Richard took part in another Westminster Hall debate on the siting of solar farms on agricultural land, using the opportunity to highlight the issues raised by East Park Energy and the use of BMV land. You can read Richard's follow up letter here and the Energy Secretary's reply here.
Richard joined local residents, and the campaign group Stop East Park on a walk across a portion of the the land proposed for the East Park Energy site. More than 300 people attended, reflecting strong local opposition to the project.
In October and November, Richard chaired meetings of the Stop East Park Energy stakeholder group. Last autumn, Brockwell Energy also submitted its application to the Planning Inspectorate which accepted it, moving it into the 'pre-examination' phase of the Development Consent Order (DCO) process.
In November, Brockwell Energy opened the registration period for Interested Parties. The public had until 14 January to register with the Planning Inspectorate to submit objections and participate in the examination process. Richard wrote directly to residents in affected parishes and shared information on his website, newsletter and social media pages to inform residents of the deadline and encourage registration. Richard submitted his own objection, which can be read here.
Richard has been granted an Adjournment Debate in Parliament on 27 January to raise the impact of the East Park Energy proposal on North Bedfordshire, ensuring the issue continues to receive national attention.
