Dengie Peninsula Energy Park
Published on Friday, 6th November 2026
Maldon District Council has been asked to comment on what environmental studies are needed for the proposed Dengie Peninsula Energy Park.
Low Carbon is developing plans for a large solar park with battery storage near Bradwell-on-Sea, Dengie and Burnham-on-Crouch. The plans also include the equipment and connections needed to supply electricity to the National Grid.
This early consultation is not a planning application, but is part of the pre-application process, it asks what environmental studies should be included with any future planning application. These studies form an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). It is not a consultation on whether the park should go ahead, and it does not give permission to build it.
Cllr Simon Morgan, Leader of Maldon District Council, said: “Because of its size, any planning application that comes forward would be considered through the national planning process by Government and the Secretary of State, rather than decided by Maldon District Council.
“The Council would still have an important role: giving planning and technical advice, identifying how the project could affect the local area and representing our communities throughout the process.
“It would be the Planning Inspectorate who would examine any future application for permission to build the park. The Secretary of State would make the final decision, not Maldon District Council.”
The proposed park could generate up to 1 gigawatt (1,000MW) of electricity. The developer estimates it could produce enough electricity to power around 250,000 homes.
More information about the plans is available on the developer’s Dengie Peninsula Energy Park website.
What this consultation covers
Low Carbon has asked the Planning Inspectorate to agree which environmental issues need to be studied. This is called an EIA Scoping Request. The Planning Inspectorate is now asking for comments on what those studies should cover.
This stage is about what needs to be investigated, not whether the project should go ahead. It helps identify possible environmental impacts and local concerns early on.
The studies would look at changes to the landscape and views, effects on wildlife and habitats, loss of farmland, and traffic when the park is built and later taken down. They would also consider how power lines and other grid connections would look. Noise, effects on aircraft and sunlight reflected from solar panels may also need to be studied. Listing these issues does not decide how important they would be when an application is considered.
The Council must send its comments to the Planning Inspectorate by 24 November 2026. The consultation documents are available on the Planning Inspectorate’s project documents page.
Next steps
Council officers are reviewing the documents and preparing a response. They will check whether the planned environmental studies cover the issues that matter to the District.
Discussions with Essex County Council will help both councils agree how to work together and make the best use of their expertise.
The developer has said it plans a separate, wider public consultation in early 2027. Residents, councillors and others with an interest would have another chance to comment before a formal application for permission, called a Development Consent Order, is submitted.
-ENDS-
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