This Order may be cited as the Oaklands Farm Solar Park (Correction) Order 2025 and comes into force on 9th October 2025.
The Oaklands Farm Solar Park (Correction) Order 2025
This Order, known as the Oaklands Farm Solar Park (Correction) Order 2025, formally enacts corrections to the original 2025 Development Consent Order (DCO) granted under the Planning Act 2008, following a request from the applicant.
The Order specifies these technical amendments, primarily involving the substitution of lists, numbering sequences, and minor textual variations across various articles and schedules pertaining to the solar park development, and it came into force on October 9th, 2025.
Arguments For
Provides immediate rectification of administrative or drafting errors in a significant energy infrastructure consent, ensuring the project's legal documentation accurately reflects the Secretary of State's intentions.
Upholds the procedural integrity required by the Planning Act 2008, specifically Schedule 4, by formally addressing the applicant's request to fix mistakes in the original development consent order (DCO).
Enables the project developer (the applicant) to proceed with clarity, preventing potential legal disputes or construction delays that confusion over inconsistent numbering or phrasing in the DCO might cause.
Arguments Against
Implies initial administrative oversight by the decision-making body (Secretary of State), raising questions about the robustness of the review process for major infrastructure applications.
Any correction, even minor, can create temporary uncertainty until the public and affected parties can verify the changes listed against the original consent.
The extensive corrections detailed in the schedule, involving renumbering and substitution across multiple works descriptions, suggest the original DCO contained numerous inconsistent references.
The Oaklands Farm Solar Park Order 2025 (“the 2025 Order”)¹, which granted development consent within the meaning of the Planning Act 2008² (“the Act”) contains correctable errors within the meaning of paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to the Act.
In accordance with paragraph 1(5)(a) of Schedule 4 to the Act, before the end of the relevant period³, the Secretary of State received a written request from the applicant⁴ for the correction of errors in the 2025 Order.
In accordance with paragraph 1(7) of Schedule 4 to the Act, the Secretary of State has informed each relevant local planning authority⁵ for the area in which the land to which the Order relates is situated that the request has been received.
The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by paragraphs 1(4) and 1(8) of Schedule 4 to, the Act, makes the following Order.
The text confirms that the initial Oaklands Farm Solar Park Order 2025 contains errors that are legally correctable under Schedule 4 of the Planning Act 2008, which governs major infrastructure planning consents.
Before a specific time frame expired, the developer who applied for the consent formally submitted a written request to the Secretary of State asking for these documented mistakes to be rectified.
The Secretary of State subsequently notified all local planning authorities where the solar park land is located about receiving this formal request for corrections.
Exercising powers granted by the Act, the Secretary of State now issues this new Order to carry out the required corrections.
Citation and commencement1.
This first article establishes the formal title of this legal instrument as the Oaklands Farm Solar Park (Correction) Order 2025.
It also specifies the date the Order legally takes effect, which is set as October 9th, 2025.
Corrections2.
The Oaklands Farm Solar Park Order 2025 is corrected as set out in the table in the Schedule to this Order, in which—
(a)
column 1 sets out where the correction is to be made;
(b)
column 2 sets out how the correction is to be made; and
(c)
column 3 sets out the text which is to be substituted.
This article directs that the specific changes needed for the 2025 Oaklands Farm Solar Park Order are detailed within a table located in the subsequent Schedule of this current correction Order.
The content of that table is structured into three columns: the first identifies the exact location of the error within the original Order, the second explains the required action (e.g., substitution), and the third provides the new text that must replace the original.
ScheduleCorrections
(1) Where the correction is made | (2) How the correction is made | (3) Text to be substituted |
---|---|---|
Part 2, Article 7(1)(a) | For “; or—” substitute | “; or” |
Part 3, Article 8(1) | For “within the order limits” substitute | “within the Order limits” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 2 | For “(c)...(d)...(e)...(f)...(g)...(h)...(i)...(j)...(k)...(l)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...(e)...(f)...(g)...(h)...(i)...(j)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 3 | For “(m)...(n)...(o)...(p)...(q)...(r)...(s)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...(e)...(f)...(g)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 4 | For “(t)...(u)...(v)...(w)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 4A | For “(x)...(y)...(z)...(aa)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 4C | For “(bb)...(cc)...(dd)...(ee)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 4D | For “(ff)...(gg)...(hh)...(ii)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 5 | For “(jj)...(kk)...(ll)...(mm)...(nn)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...(e)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 5A | For “(oo)...(pp)...(qq)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 5B | For “(rr)...(ss)...(tt)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 6 | For “(uu)...(vv)...(ww)...(xx)...(yy)...(zz)...(aaa)...(bbb)...(ccc)...(ddd)...(eee)...(fff)...(ggg)...(hhh)...(iii)...(jjj)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...(e)...(f)...(g)...(h)...(i)...(j)...(k)...(l)...(m)...(n)...(o)...(p)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 7 | For “(kkk)...(lll)...(mmm)...(nnn)...(ooo)...(ppp)...(qqq)...(rrr)...(sss)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...(e)...(f)...(g)...(h)...(i)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 8 | For “(ttt)...(uuu)...(vvv)...(www)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 9 | For “(xxx)...(yyy)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2, Work No. 10 | For “(zzz)...and (aaaa)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 1, at the end of paragraph 2 after Work No. 10 | For “(bbbb)...(cccc)...(dddd)...(eeee)...(ffff)...(gggg)...(hhhh)...(iiii)...(jjjj)...(kkkk)...” substitute | “(a)...(b)...(c)...(d)...(e)...(f)...(g)...(h)...(i)...(j)...” |
Schedule 1, Part 3, paragraph 28(1)(b) | For “under paragraph 30” substitute | “under paragraph 29” |
The Schedule provides the technical details of the required corrections, cross-referencing Article 2.
Most corrections involve replacing long strings of lettered sub-clauses (like (c), (d), (e)...) used to describe various works under Schedule 1 with completely renumbered sequences (starting from (a), (b), (c)...).
These extensive renumbering corrections apply across multiple specified Work Numbers (2 through 10/4A/4C/4D/5A/5B) in Schedule 1, Part 1, ensuring the description of the authorized development is internally consistent.
There is one specific textual correction in Schedule 1, Part 3, referencing paragraph 28(1)(b), where the text must change from referencing 'paragraph 30' to 'paragraph 29'.
This Order corrects errors in the Oaklands Farm Solar Park Order 2025 (S.I. 2025/739), a development consent order made under the Planning Act 2008, following a request made under paragraph 1(5)(a) of Schedule 4 to that Act.
This section provides an explanatory note confirming the purpose of the Order, which is not legally binding as part of the main instrument.
It clarifies that the instrument fixes errors found in the primary authorizing document, the Oaklands Farm Solar Park Order 2025 (S.I. 2025/739), which relates to development consent granted under the Planning Act 2008.