EIA Scoping

As part of the Development Consent Order (DCO) process, we will carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This will assess the potential effects, both positive and negative, that South Brooks Solar Farm could have on the environment. It will include assessment of the project on a range of topics such as ecology, cultural heritage, landscape and visual amenity, hydrology and flood risk, as well as transport and access, throughout its lifetime (construction, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning).

The final results of the EIA will be presented in an Environmental Statement which will accompany our DCO application.

Before we do our assessments, we have requested a written opinion from the Planning Inspectorate (on behalf of the Secretary of State) on the scope and level of detail of the Environmental Statement. We have done this by submitting a ‘Scoping Report’, which was published on 11 November 2025:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN0110027/documents

This Report sets out our proposed approach to assessing environmental effects. We have included all of the land within our red line boundary for assessment – which is more than we would use for development. This is so we can identify which areas within our site are most suitable for development. We have also included indicative options for connecting the South Brooks site to the Dungeness Substation.

The Planning Inspectorate has 42 days to publish its written response (called a ‘Scoping Opinion’). In that time, the Planning Inspectorate will be writing to consultees like your parish, town, local and county councils on what should be in its Scoping Opinion. These will be published as part of the Scoping Opinion on the Planning Inspectorate website.