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Projects

UKPN- Biggleswade Substation

Value
£50M (Project total)
Location
Biggleswade
Client
UK Power Networks

UK Power Networks and National Grid were approached by Central Beds Council to develop a project that would enable the provision of an additional 80MVA of electricity.

The project was to be substantially funded by the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), which set down strict milestones for the (project) programme including the securing of planning consent by April 2022. We were approached to provide planning and consultation services to meet the HIF milestones and enable the project to proceed.

The planning application received only three resident objections and was unanimously approved by the Central Bedfordshire Development Management Committee. Given the scale of the development and the rural location, this was a great outcome and demonstrated the effectiveness of the public communication strategy and the detail provided in the planning application.

The development will support future investment in the area and help local communities transition towards a low carbon economy. This is part of a wider shift to clean energy, as the country makes the low carbon transition to meet the challenge of moving to net zero by 2050. The scheme will also provide a biodiversity net gain of over 180% when compared to the current agricultural field, providing significant natural benefit.

UKPN 3

 

A full public consultation, submission of a major planning application and a unanimous planning decision at committee were achieved within a year of our instruction on the project.

“A note of thanks to Bidwells for all the hard work, diligence and professionalism that culminated in unanimous approval at the Development Management Committee meeting. This is an amazing outcome that is a direct result of Bidwells’ critical role in the project.”
Geraint Hancock - UK Power Networks

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Mike Jones

Partner, Planning

Mike is a Chartered Town Planner with 19+ years’ experience and knowledge across an array of sectors.

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