Renewable Energy Developments

Published: 14 October 2025

Renewable Energy Developments

This provides a brief overview of some of the activity from Burwell Parish Council in 2025. 

On 10th June 2025 Burwell Parish Council signed Charlotte Cane MP’s petition calling on the Government to urgently strengthen safety regulations for large-scale battery storage sites, including requiring local fire services to be consulted during planning, to protect people and the environment while supporting renewable energy and net zero goals.

 We objected to the two local developments listed below pending consideration. For both developments we have engaged with the developers and encouraged them to consult with local residents as widely as possible. Our objections have primarily been on acoustic, safety and environmental concerns in the build, operation and decommissioning of solar farms and battery storage. We are engaging with Kingsway and the National Grid to try and find out as much information as possible.

25/00639/FUM – Burwell Parish Council objected
Erection of a battery energy storage facility and associated infrastructure.
Land Southwest Of Hightown Drove, Burwell, Cambridgeshire

25/00393/FUM - Burwell Parish Council objected
Agrivoltaic scheme (capacity 49.95MW) plus associated infrastructure, access roads and landscaping
Anchor Lane Farm, Newnham Drove, Burwell, Cambridge CB25 0BN

We asked the planning authority, East Cambridgeshire District Council, on 29th July 2025 to provide a map of approved and planned solar farms and battery storage sites which they have not provided as yet. We hope this will help to show the impact of cumulative development across the Parish. We are also engaging with the National Grid, National Trust, District and County Councillors and our local MP. We also worked with residents to complain about the alarm system at the battery station on Weirs Drove and request reassurance on safety.

At the start of the year, in January, we sent the following response to the 1st stage Kingsway Consultation:

Burwell Parish Council has reviewed Kingsway Solar’s Environmental Impact Analysis Scoping Report and listened to the views of concerned members of the community we represent. The Council have stated that it is difficult to respond without having clarity on the preferred connection corridor at this stage or where ‘Burwell South’, will be located.
However our concerns are as follows:

• the impact on local wildlife and nature sites such as Spring Close, Priory Meadow and Woods and Pauline’s Swamp, as well as our chalk streams and lodes should be incorporated with particular emphasis on how this may impact on wildlife corridors to these sites and biodiversity losses or gains;
• the lack of clarity on the route of cabling and the environment impact of cabling either underground or overground;
• the level and impact of noise from the connection disturbing local residents and wildlife, how this will be measured, monitored and enforced;
• the impact on our local farmers and landowners, their well-being and ability to manage their land effectively. They do not feel they are being consulted and the feedback is that they are bullied into having pylons on their land.
• the visual impact of the proposed construction of a 440kV overhead pylon and cable (OHL) to connect the proposed PV arrays to the national grid at a new substation, termed Burwell South. We would request that an underground connection option is assessed in exactly the same way as OHL routes for the entirety of Kingsway Solar’s chosen route.

We are concerned that this process is proceeding with a complete lack of clarity as to where the connection will be and would suggest decisions are delayed until National Grid are able to provide this information.

 

We are currently working on the Council's response to the second phase consultation.
Renewable energy developments are on our agenda every month as a regular update item and any specific planning responses are minuted.