Green light given for redevelopment of Uniper’s Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site in Nottinghamshire
- Rushcliffe Borough Council grants Local Development Order, giving outline planning permission for a defined range of developments at Ratcliffe power station site.
- Simplified planning process could accelerate development, helping to secure the site’s long-term future.
- The site redevelopment has the potential to create thousands of high-skilled jobs once the site is fully occupied.
- The power station will close at the end of September 2024.
Uniper is delighted with the resolution by Rushcliffe Borough Council to adopt a new Local Development Order (LDO) for the future redevelopment of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site.
The LDO approval is a significant milestone representing the culmination of several years’ work to develop an aligned vision for the future of the site, involving Rushcliffe Borough Council, Uniper, regional partners and national government departments. It enables Uniper to deliver the vision to transform the 265 hectare site into a zero carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands, once the plant has finished generating.
Once fully occupied, the redeveloped site has the potential to create between 7,000 and 8,000 jobs based around low carbon energy generation and advanced manufacturing, supporting continued economic growth, and helping to meet the region’s decarbonisation goals.
After over 50 years of supplying reliable electricity to the UK energy market, Ratcliffe power station will close at the end of September 2024 in line with the UK government’s policy to end coal fired power generation.
The LDO provides a framework for sustainable development, specifying the types and amount of development that can be brought forward at the Ratcliffe site. It permits development for a range of modern industrial uses, including advanced manufacturing, low-carbon energy production, battery production, energy storage, logistics, and research and development. A large section of the site is part of the previously announced East Midlands Freeport - a key government initiative to encourage growth, innovation and job creation. The plans also link to Development Corporation proposals.
Having the LDO simplifies and streamlines the planning process to enable developers to bring forward their plans more easily, encouraging investment and economic growth.
Before any projects can be delivered, developers will need to demonstrate their plans comply with the LDO, and these will also be subject to independent planning processes.
Future development is subject to a number of conditions to ensure environmental and wildlife impacts are mitigated and limiting maximum building heights. The conditions also cover permitted uses on the southern area of the site ( south of the A453) and limitations on the amount of development that can happen in advance of road improvements or an agreed programme for their delivery being in place.
We are very pleased with the decision by Rushcliffe Borough Council to grant Local Development Order status for the Ratcliffe site.
We see the LDO as a key enabler to accelerate redevelopment in a way that can deliver the sustainable vision for the site, which has been developed in close partnership with regional stakeholders.
Ratcliffe is in a great location, with good transport links and excellent utilities infrastructure. It has the potential to become a site of regional and national importance, supporting the UK’s green growth ambitions, creating new high-skilled employment opportunities and ensuring the contribution the site makes to the local economy is not lost.
We have already received significant interest from businesses looking to locate to the site in the future. Uniper looks forward to continuing to work with regional stakeholders and partners to deliver the masterplan for the redevelopment of the site.
Notes to editors
The LDO could now increase the speed at which planning processes could be progressed for a range of modern industrial uses. The vision for the site sets out the guiding principles by which any development would be brought forward, and seeks to deliver:
• A zero carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands
• High-skilled jobs
• Modern industrial and business uses, served by on-site sustainable energy generation and storage
• Advanced manufacturing, for example for production of electric car batteries
• A hub for research, development, and innovation, through links with universities, business support organisations and established industry.
East Midlands Freeport
For more information please go to www.emfreeport.com/
About Uniper
Düsseldorf-based Uniper is an international energy company with activities in more than 40 countries. With around 7,000 employees, it makes an important contribution to security of supply in Europe. Uniper’s core businesses are power generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a broad gas portfolio.
Uniper procures gas – including liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and other energy sources on global markets. The company owns and operates gas storage facilities with a capacity of more than 7 billion cubic meters. Uniper plans for its 22.5 GW of installed power-generating capacity in Europe to be carbon-neutral by 2035.
The company already ranks among Europe’s largest operators of hydroelectric plants and intends to further expand solar and wind energy, which are essential for a more sustainable and autonomous future.
Uniper is a reliable partner for communities, municipal utilities, and industrial enterprises for planning and implementing innovative, lower-carbon solutions on their decarbonization journey. Uniper is a hydrogen pioneer, is active worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain, and is conducting projects to make hydrogen a mainstay of the energy supply.
About Uniper UK
In the UK, Uniper owns and operates a flexible generation portfolio of seven power stations, a fast-cycle gas storage facility and two high pressure gas pipelines, from Theddlethorpe to Killingholme and from Blyborough to Cottam. We also have significant long-term regasification capacity at the Grain LNG terminal in Kent, to convert LNG back to natural gas.
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