Powering a reliable energy
future for the UK

Arrow Valley is a new solar and energy storage Scheme in south Warwickshire and east Worcestershire.

The Scheme would connect up to 500MW of clean, renewable energy a year. In addition, the Scheme includes a battery storage facility capable of storing up to 250MW of electricity until it’s needed, so that the UK can benefit from solar power, even when the sun isn’t shining.

Arrow Valley Solar is a company owned by Island Green Power (IGP). Established in 2013, IGP is a leading developer of utility-scale solar projects and battery storage systems.

We currently operate in the UK only, but have previously delivered projects across the UK as well as in Spain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.

The way we produce our energy is changing. The demand for electricity is continuing to increase and there is a clear need for affordable, reliable and secure energy generation in the UK.

Arrow Valley Solar will help generate clean, domestic energy, reducing reliance on imports and helping to stabilise energy costs.

The Scheme will be fully funded by IGP and requires no subsidies from the UK taxpayer.

Arrow Valley Solar Farm is a new solar and energy storage Scheme in south Warwickshire and east Worcestershire.

Arrow Valley Solar will comprise the following elements:

• Ground-mounted solar arrays.
• On-site substations.
• A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
• Cable Route Corridors for an underground cable, to connect the solar sites to each other and to the National Grid Feckenham Substation.
• Electrical equipment required to manage electricity – including switch rooms and conversion units.
• Internal access tracks, site entrances and, where needed, local highway improvements.
• Security measures such as fencing, gates and CCTV.
• Drainage works and utility connections.
• Landscaping, habitat creation and other environmental mitigation and enhancement measures.
• Temporary construction compounds, laydown areas, and welfare facilities needed during construction.

For further detail about the proposals in your area, visit the Our Proposals page.

As part of this consultation, we have published maps and plans which detail where we propose to place the solar panels. No final decisions have yet been made and your comments and feedback will help us refine our design.

Arrow Valley Solar comprises four solar array sites. Each site will contain ground-mounted solar panels, as well as supporting infrastructure – such as substations, switch-rooms, and conversion units.

To view each of the four sites in more detail, please visit the Our Proposals page.

To connect Arrow Valley Solar to the National Grid, we need to install an underground cable, linking the Project’s four solar sites to each other and to National Grid’s Feckenham Substation.

This Cable Route Corridor (CRC) is not the final cable route, but a wider area within which the exact cable route will be confirmed. We will continue to refine the corridor as our design work progresses and expect to narrow it to around 50 metres wide before submitting our application.

During construction, we will only need a temporary working area of approximately 25 to 35 metres wide. This space is required to safely install the cables, provide access for workers and equipment, create temporary construction areas, and store materials close to where they are needed.

To find out more about the Cable Route Corridor you can click here.

For Arrow Valley Solar, we have a connection agreement in place to connect to the national electricity grid at Feckenham Substation in Worcestershire.

A key reason for proposing Arrow Valley Solar in this area is the availability of grid capacity at Feckenham Substation, where the Scheme has a connection agreement to supply electricity to the National Grid.

After identifying Feckenham Substation as the connection point, we reviewed the surrounding area to find land close enough to connect efficiently. We considered a range of planning, environmental and technical factors, including size, suitability and accessibility of the land; its proximity to homes, villages and sensitive environmental or heritage features; flood risk; and opportunities to continue farming and deliver biodiversity improvements. We have also been working with local landowners to understand their landholdings and interest in participating in the Project.

The selection of a location for a solar Scheme is based on several factors.

First, there must be confirmation from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) that the network in the local area has sufficient capacity to connect the solar Scheme to the electricity supply. The grid operator decides where a Scheme will connect.

From there we have discussions with landowners who have suitable land to meet the requirements for a solar farm. We then undertake preliminary assessments to check from an environmental perspective that the land could be suitable to host solar infrastructure.

Once we have confirmation of a grid connection and that there are no significant planning constraints, we will develop a legal agreement (called an option agreement) with landowners.

This says we could use the identified land for a solar Scheme for a specified period of time.

Ultimately grid capacity, land availability, planning and environmental constraints will determine the most suitable location for a solar farm.

The solar sector is working with Government and the real estate industry to tackle barriers to putting solar on large rooftops. However, this will not happen quickly and will not replace the need for ground-mounted schemes.

Most commercial leases require the tenant to maintain the building and do not allow for doing this under solar panels owned by the landlord. The sector is working on new standard lease terms that will enable solar installation. Once agreed, these terms will be rolled out over the next 10 – 15 years.

However, these will still be relatively small installations. UK retailer Iceland installed solar on two distribution warehouses. The annual output is equivalent to the annual consumption of less than six of their stores.

We have a number of different landowners who are involved in the project.

These local farmers and landowners see the Scheme as an opportunity to diversify how their land is used, with a guaranteed income for up to 60 years, while continuing farming practices.

The solar Scheme is temporary, and the land can be restored to its original use once it is decommissioned.

We are working with landowners to make sure Arrow Valley Solar can sit alongside existing farming activity. Landowners working with the Scheme expect to continue farming across their wider landholdings, and the design of the solar sites will allow agricultural use to continue in areas adjacent to the Scheme as well as allow livestock grazing in solar array areas.

We are already speaking with landowners in and around the Cable Route Corridor. If you have received a letter, or think your land may be affected, please get in touch with our land agents, Dalcour Maclaren, who can advise you further:

• Email: arrowvalleysolar@dalcourmaclaren.com
• Call: 0333 188 5374.

As part of this consultation, we are also hosting dedicated drop-in sessions for landowners on the Cable Route Corridor. Please check the Have Your Say page if you believe your land may be affected, and would like to meet with the Scheme team.

We are holding a five-week community consultation, from Monday 28^th September until 11:59pm on Monday 2^nd November 2026.

During this consultation, we will be sharing our detailed proposals, including maps and plans for the proposed site, details of the environmental assessments undertaken so far, and information on the Arrow Valley Solar Community Benefit Fund.

We are also hosting drop-in events where you can meet the Scheme team, ask questions and share your views. You can also join our webinar to hear more about the proposals and what they would mean for your area. Details of all the above can be found

We want to hear from everyone who is interested in Arrow Valley Solar. We are consulting local residents, businesses and communities, local interest groups, local authorities and parish councils, to gain feedback, understand issues and help address concerns. We are also continuing to engage with national bodies such as Natural England, Historic England and the Environment Agency. We use this process to refine Scheme proposals before the application is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS).

To have your say, please use one of the feedback methods below:

Online feedback form

Submit your feedback online by visiting the Have Your Say page.

Paper feedback form

Paper copies of our feedback form will be available to fill in or take home at our drop in events and at Alcester Library.

Copies will also be available on request – if you require a hard copy, please contact our team and we can post them to you.

You can return your feedback form to us in-person at an event, or by picking up a Freepost envelope, no stamp required.

Copies of the form and envelope are also available to print off from our document library.

Email us

If you would prefer to send us your feedback via email, simply put it in writing and send it to the Scheme team, at info@arrowvalleysolar.co.uk

We will consider every response submitted as part of this consultation, and use them to help refine all aspects of Arrow Valley Solar.

IGP has previously used feedback provided during consultations to make modifications to Scheme designs, for example by changing locations for proposed infrastructure, or by introducing additional mitigation measures, such as enhanced landscaping measures. Every project we have developed to date has been improved by feedback we have received during public consultation.

Feedback can also highlight potential issues that the project could cause to the local area such as those related to traffic, construction timings, or local infrastructure. By understanding these issues, we can make design changes that can help to minimise the impact of Arrow Valley Solar and ensure it is more aligned to community needs.

We also use public consultation to influence our thinking about our Community Benefit Funds, by hearing ideas about how funding could be used for community projects or initiatives.

After this consultation closes, we will carefully consider all the feedback we receive, alongside the results of our ongoing environmental and technical assessments. We will then use this information to finalise our proposals and prepare our application for a development consent order.

We expect to submit our application for development consent in Spring 2027, with a decision being made as to whether the Scheme goes ahead in Summer 2028.

If consented, we expect construction work to begin in 2029, with Arrow Valley Solar operational by 2031.

The size of the Scheme means it is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Scheme (NSIP). NSIPs require a specific type of development application under the Planning Act 2008, called a ‘Development Consent Order’.

A Development Consent Order (DCO) is a form of planning permission that must be applied for by developers of sites defined as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). This includes large-scale solar farms because of their generating capacity. The Development Consent Order (DCO) includes a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and thorough public consultation.

The planning process for a DCO typically takes around 18 months before the application is submitted then a further 18 months for the application to be determined.

During the application, there is usually six months of Examination which includes hearings that all stakeholders, including members of the public, are able to attend.

The Examining Authority is part of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) and then has three months to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who has a further three months to make a decision. The Secretary of State may ask for further information before making a decision, which can extend the timeline.

At the final stage of the DCO planning process, PINS will examine the application and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

While the final decision is made by the Secretary of State, the local authority, community, and stakeholders all play a critical role in the process by providing valuable feedback and insights that inform the design.

No. Once our application is submitted, we are subject to a rigorous assessment process carried out by PINS. For more information on this process click here.

PINS will then provide a recommendation to the Secretary of State, who will ultimately decide whether the Scheme should be approved.

We are carrying out a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to understand how Arrow Valley Solar could affect the local area before any decisions are made. This includes studies on topics such as landscape and visual effects, ecology and biodiversity, historic environment and cultural heritage, transport and access, noise and vibration, water environment and flood risk, soils and agriculture, air quality, climate change and human health. The assessment process helps us identify potential impacts early so that we can avoid, reduce or mitigate them through the design of the Scheme wherever possible.

We are sharing our work so far through the Interim Environmental Report (IER) and are inviting people to comment, with any feedback received during this consultation helping to shape the ongoing assessments and the final design of Arrow Valley Solar.

A full Environmental Statement, setting out the completed assessments and any proposed mitigation measures, will be submitted as part of our application for development consent.

Within each solar site, we have applied environmental buffers to ensure we do not put solar panels or any other infrastructure too close to houses, hedgerows, trees, watercourses or other sensitive areas.

We will also deliver landscaping, planting, and other environmental mitigation and enhancement across the sites. This could include grassland beneath panels, areas of wildflower meadows, and additional trees and hedgerows.

Our Interim Environmental Report (IER) details the work undertaken so far to understand the landscape and visual impact of the project. This report is available to view in the Document Library.

As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, we are investigating potential local impacts resulting from construction and will propose measures to mitigate them if necessary. We are sharing the findings of our work to date through the Interim Environmental Report (IER), which covers topics such as transport and access, noise and vibration, ecology and biodiversity, landscape and visual, historic environment and cultural heritage, water environment and flood risk, and soils and agriculture.

The IER is available to view in the Document Library and is intended to inform this consultation and help us gather feedback that can shape the ongoing design and assessment work.

We will develop a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) to outline how construction activities will be managed throughout the construction process. We will also prepare a Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) to outline how traffic movement during construction would be managed. Both of these documents will be submitted with our application for development consent.

We believe that the communities closest to Arrow Valley Solar should share the benefits of the Project. That means listening to local people about what matters most, and working with residents, community groups and local representatives to understand where support could make a real difference.

We will put in place an Arrow Valley Solar Community Benefit Fund and will provide funding each year the Scheme is in operation, based on its capacity, for local projects and initiatives that help strengthen community life, support local priorities and leave a lasting legacy for communities nearby.

• Skills, training and education opportunities
• Community-led decarbonisation projects
• Funding for local clubs, societies, events and volunteer groups
• Support for projects that help with the cost of living, including energy bills and household resilience
• Improvements to community facilities
• Nature, heritage and wellbeing projects.

We are committed to ensuring that communities benefit from our solar and BESS projects including by receiving direct funding to important causes in the local area.

During this consultation, we are asking the local community for early ideas on how they believe community benefits should be spent. Your feedback will help us to determine how best to set up the Fund, to ultimately distribute funding.

As Arrow Valley will connect directly into the electricity transmission network, it is not possible for local residents to benefit directly from the power generated by it. This is because the power will be moved around the network to suit demand.

However, residents will benefit from the long-term benefits that will arise as part of the Proposed Development, including increased energy security as a result of reduced reliance on imported oil and gas from overseas.

Solar power is significantly cheaper to produce than power from fossil fuel sources, which contributes to the goal of reducing bills for UK families and businesses. Whilst Arrow Valley Solar Farm will not reduce your energy bills instantly, it will also contribute to boosting the UK’s energy security, which should help to reduce the volatility of energy prices in the future.

A utility-scale solar farm is a large-scale installation of solar panels that generate electricity by converting sunlight into electrical energy using photovoltaic cells. The electricity generated is distributed to the National Grid, with the energy then used to power homes and businesses across the UK.

Solar contributes to the UK’s energy security with clean, homegrown energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels subject to volatile prices. As one of the lowest-cost forms of generation, solar also contributes to the goal of reducing bills for UK families and businesses.

Solar power works well throughout the UK as panels generate electricity using any sunlight, not just direct sunlight, so produce electricity year-round, even on cloudy days.

Solar power is a clean source of electricity, meaning that no carbon emissions are created when energy is generated in this way. Some of the other benefits associated with solar include:

1. Solar power is cheaper to produce than fossil fuel sources of electricity.
2. Solar and battery storage support the UK’s energy security by providing more homegrown power.
3. Solar is generally quicker to build than other sources of renewable or low carbon power.