A renewable energy hub with the potential to create thousands of high-skilled jobs has been given the green light. The plans for the site of the Ratcliffe on Soar power station form a key part of the new East Midlands Freeport area, set up to boost the regional economy.
Uniper, the German owner of the power station which sits on the border between Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, is set to be decommissioned in the next couple of years in line with government policy to decarbonise power generation.
It sits close to East Midlands Parkway railway station on the Midland Mainline, and was briefly in the running as a potential site for the first commercial fusion energy plant in the world.
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When the power station is eventually knocked down, it has the potential for green energy creation through wind generation and solar power, battery production and energy storage, as well as advanced manufacturing and logistics, research and development, offices, shops and maybe a data centre.
Rushcliffe Borough Council has now approved a local development order (LDO) for the site which sets out clear development guidelines to control, shape and enable regeneration.
The broader East Midlands Freeport – which also includes East Midlands Airport, SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway, Space Park Leicester, and the East Midlands Intermodal Park in South Derbyshire – could help support tens-of-thousands of jobs, and potentially add billions to the region’s economy with hundred-of-millions of retained tax to reinvest.
East Midlands Freeport chair Nora Senior said: “I’m delighted that the Ratcliffe development order has been approved.
“Securing new global investment in the region and driving cutting edge green growth are at the heart of the freeport. The LDO provides greater certainty at the outset for the types of development to be permitted and allows the planning process to be more responsive and agile.
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“EMF is committed to establishing good design principles which will support the creation of an international freeport gateway.”
Freeport chief executive Tom Newman-Taylor said: “This is great news and an important milestone for the freeport. But it’s clearly not the end of the journey and we’ll be working closely with partners and the local community on taking this forward in a truly collaborative way.
“All developments within the freeport will be subject to existing planning laws and regulations as well as environmental rules and regulations that are already in place.
“We’re looking forward to working with Uniper, Rushcliffe Borough Council and others to seize this transformative opportunity for the region.”
East Midlands Freeport received formal Government approval in March.