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Investment in North Shropshire Electricity Network

SP Energy Networks is planning to invest £18m to support and enable growth across North Shropshire.

Development Consent Granted for New Electricity Line

Permission for the £18 million project to enhance the electricity network and support decarbonisation in North Shropshire has been given the go-ahead by planning officials. The permission grants consent for a new  substation and 132,000 volt wooden pole overhead line between Oswestry and Wem and associated development. At present, SP Energy Networks is set to begin construction of the overhead line later this year with project completion expected by Winter summer 2022, however this will be kept under continuous review as we continue to follow Government guidelines on Covid-19, in order that we can protect our customers, staff and supply chain.

The SoS’s decision was based on the report from the public examination that took place between March and September last year.

NOTICE OF COMPULSORY ACQUISITION UNDER SECTION 134(7) OF THE PLANNING ACT 2008

Please note that SP Manweb is also publishing on 9th April a notice following the granting of the Development Order. A copy of this notice is included with this update.

In addition to the above documents, we are sending copies of this notice to all relevant land interests affected by the proposed development and publishing a copy in a local newspaper. This notice points to other approved DCO documents which can be found below:


Previous Updates

Posted September 2019

The public examination into the £18m investment by SP Energy Networks for the Reinforcement to the North Shropshire Electricity Network scheme is to close on 20th September 2019.

This is the anticipated date and enables the project to progress on programme to be completed by 2022. The proposals to build 22km of new 132 kV network on wood poles from Oswestry Substation to Wem Substation will provide additional capacity on the electricity network for new homes and businesses in North Shropshire and to support consumer increases in electricity as we move to electric vehicles. 

The public examination, which lasted 6 months, has followed two years of pre-application consultation and engagement with various stakeholders to help shape and design the proposals and the submission of over 100 planning documents on behalf of SP Manweb to be examined publically. The Examination attracted a number of representations on which SP Energy Networks has worked with those submitting comments to address their concerns. More information on the Examination and submitted documents can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website here: 

The next stages involve the Examiner writing up a report and recommendations over the next three months which is then submitted to the Secretary of State for Energy to decide.

SP Energy Networks will provide a further update to stakeholders including local communities, landowners and residents in Autumn 2019.


Posted March 2019

Examination of the Application for Development Consent Order

SP Manweb's application for a Development Consent Order ("DCO") for the Reinforcement to North Shropshire Electricity Distribution Network is currently being examined by the Planning Inspectorate.

As part of the examination process, the Planning Inspectorate has published details of how the application will be examined. The current programme is set out in the 'Rule 6' letter published on 20th February 2019. A copy of this letter and subsequent updates can be found on the Planning Inspectorate's website for this project


Application for Development Consent Order

Following the application for the Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Proposed Development being submitted on 12th November 2018 to the Major Applications and Plans Directorate at the Planning Inspectorate, the application was formally accepted on 10th December 2018.

The next stage is for SP Manweb, the applicant in this case, to publish notice of this and to invite comments from interested parties over the next 6 weeks until 1st February 2019. A copy of the notice published in national and local newspapers can be viewed below.


Further Consultation April 2018

As you will be aware, we recently held our statutory stage of consultation from 23rd November 2017 to 2nd February 2018 regarding SP Manweb’s plans to build a new 132,000 Volt electrical circuit from Oswestry to Wem, which will provide. The proposed development will provide much needed additional capacity to the local electricity network in North Shropshire.

We are grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation and the very useful feedback received. Having considered this feedback and also undertaken further constructability assessments, we are now proposing to make a number of changes to the route of the proposed 132,000 Volt overhead line, the underground cable, the access tracks and laydown areas which reflect this feedback and our further assessments.


A new wood pole overhead line is now proposed to reinforce the electricity network. The line will run from Oswestry substation, located at the A5/A495 roundabout, to Wem substation, located on Ellesmere Road on the western side of Wem.

This line will provide capacity to support development on land allocated for new jobs and homes in Oswestry, Whitchurch and Wem. It it will attract future business and housing investment across North Shropshire through to and beyond 2036. The new overhead line will reinforce the existing network by increasing the capacity available.

Statutory Consultation Stage November 2017

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Useful Documents

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