algrave is unique within Suffolk in that 2 solar farms have been granted permission, which sit alongside each other heading west off Lion Road, They are the Grange Farm and Marsh Lane solar farms. As the Grange Farm site is now under constructions, this is now on a drop down menu off this page. 

Added to this we are also having to contend with the Norwich to Tilbury Pylon Scheme and the Ecopower scheme at Eye. All of these projects have been vigourously contested by the Parish Council but to date, our concerns and objections jave not held any merit. In that light, we are trying our best to mitigate the damage and endeavour to get the best outcome possible for Palgrave and its residents. 

NORWICH TO TILBURY PYLON SCHEME

You can read County Councillor Jessica Fleming's PINS response here submitted on behalf of all our local villages.

April 2026 Latest Project Update:
 

Changes to the Norwich to Tilbury project accepted by Examining Authority

We consulted on two small changes to our proposals earlier in the year and submitted a formal request to the Planning Inspectorate on 27 March 2026. After considering our application, the Examining Authority has formally confirmed they have been accepted. 

These are:  
  • Change Request 1 (Bulphan) – a change to our Order Limits to allow for third-party access and works for the mitigation of an existing pipeline near Bulphan. 
  • Change Request 2 (Little Bromley) – a change to the alignment of the construction access and permanent access routes for a new East Anglia Connection Node (EACN) substation proposed as part of the Norwich to Tilbury project. 
 

We’d like to thank everybody who took part and provided feedback. 

You can view all the documents for these changes on the Planning Inspectorate’s website here, including a Consultation Report for each change request. 

All consultation materials relating to both changes can still be found on our website.  

 

What happens next 

 

The development consent order (DCO) has been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate. This is a key milestone for the project and follows more than three years of public consultation on our proposals. 

Click here to find the latest information on our application on the Planning Inspectorate's website. 

Documents on the PI website will include all responses to the feedback submitted during the 2024 statutory consultation and the targeted consultations. The Planning Inspectorate will then appoint an Examining Authority which will hold a six-month examination of our application. Local residents, landowners and our stakeholders will be able to register an interest so they can provide comments and take part in the examination period. 

Following examination, the Examining Authority will prepare a detailed report along with its recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Secretary of State then has three months to decide whether to approve the application.  We expect the whole process to take around 18 months. 

Click here to watch a video on how Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects are refused or approved. 

There have been various consultations, all of which we have responded to. You can search for more information about the Project website: National Grid website

The Parish Council's latest response dated 26 February 2025, is available to read.

The Parish Council's response dated 22 July 2024 specific to the Brook airfield is available to read. 

The Parish Council's first response dated 21 May 2024 is available to read.

There is also a very useful action group fighting the Pylon project. You can find an enormous amount of information on the their site, www.pylonseastanglia.co.uk. They have an online petition which you can sign, adding your voice to the campaign.  Please sign up.

ECO POWER SUFFOLK 

Whilst not immediately on our doorstep, this project is still very close to Palgrave and it's 2 already approved solar farms, so we want to keep you abreast of it as well.  It will deliver a solar farm and BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) with an anticipated capacity of around 250 megawatts (MW).

This includes the construction, operation and decommissioning of a solar PV electricity generating facility with associated infrastructure including co-located BESS. The main sites comprising the energy farm will be connected by underground cables, with the project also including a grid connection that will run via underground cable to the point of connection at the Yaxley 400kV National Grid substation.

It is still in the early stages of development situated on 600 hectares of land located near the National Grid Yaxley 400kV Substation, with main development areas situated within a 5-mile radius of the substation. The area closest to the substation is likely to include the BESS and associated infrastructure, meaning that additional energy generated can be stored and released when needed. The project would generate clean, renewable electricity to power approximately 75,000 homes for forty years.

Their Press Release dated 15 May 2025 is now available to read. 

MARSH LANE SOLAR FARM

Update April 2025 - the planning committee approved the application. We are still awaiting their official notification of this as at 18 May 2025. 

Planning Officer recomendation to approve April 25

DC/23/05426 Application amendments

Site Layout Plan

Legend for above site layout plan

10m wildlife tracks highlighted in red

Notes from Aura Power re the amendments

Proposal Summary
  • 30MW solar farm providing enough clean energy to power around 12,000 homes each year 
  • It will save approximately 11,000 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere compared to electricity generated by gas
  • The plans include a number of landscaping and ecology enhancements such as wildflower planting, tree and hedgerow planting and new habitats for birds and invertebrates, which have been calculated to improve the biodiversity on site by 166%
  • £12,000 a year community benefit fund to be spent locally
  • Construction is expected to take around 6-8 months with access via Lion Road