Kent solar DCO corrected: Stonestreet Green, Feb 2026

If you’re learning how big projects are consented in England, here’s a neat real‑world case. On 5 February 2026 the government signed the Stonestreet Green Solar (Correction) Order, which then came into force on 6 February. It doesn’t restart the planning case; it tidies the paperwork so people on the ground are all working to the same, correct documents.

First, the project itself. Stonestreet Green Solar is a solar‑plus‑storage scheme near Aldington in Kent. The Secretary of State granted development consent on 23 October 2025 after an examination that followed application acceptance on 9 July 2024. The applicant was EPL 001 Limited and the scheme’s maximum export capacity is 99.9MW. Those facts are set out by the Planning Inspectorate and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on GOV.UK. (gov.uk)

What is a Development Consent Order (DCO)? Think of it as a single permission for a nationally significant infrastructure project. Energy schemes above 50MW go through this route, and the final decision is written up as a Statutory Instrument (SI). That’s why you’ll see DCOs numbered like other SIs. The Planning Inspectorate’s own advice explains that DCOs are prepared in SI format before they’re made. (gov.uk)

So what is a correction order? Under Schedule 4 to the Planning Act 2008, if a slip or omission is spotted quickly, the applicant can ask for a fix within the legal challenge window (six weeks). The Secretary of State must tell the relevant local planning authorities that a request has been received, and then-if satisfied-issues a correction notice so everyone uses the right text. The House of Lords explanatory notes set out this process in plain terms. (publications.parliament.uk)

In this case, the correction order updates the list of certified documents attached to the 2025 DCO. It adjusts how the “outline operational surface water drainage strategy” is referenced, including its appendices and date stamp, so that the engineering team and the council are pointing to the same version. It also inserts a missing entry for the Environmental Statement’s Landscape and Views chapter (with its figures and March 2025 date), complete with the examination library code, so readers can find it without confusion.

Why does that matter? Certified documents sit alongside the legal text and guide how a project is built and managed-everything from drainage to views and traffic. If a reference is wrong or an item is missing, contractors, planners and local residents can end up talking past each other. A short correction now avoids bigger disputes later, and gives confidence that what’s built matches what was examined and consented.

Here’s what a correction is not. It’s not a chance to re‑argue the case or change the project’s substance. The law says the original decision stays in force but is treated as corrected from the date of the correction notice. In other words, the consent stands; the signposts around it are made accurate. (publications.parliament.uk)

If you want to follow the paper trail yourself, start with the government’s decision page for Stonestreet Green Solar, which signposts to the Planning Inspectorate’s project file (code EN010135). There you can see the decision, the Examining Authority’s recommendation, and the document library that the correction order is tidying up. (gov.uk)

Quick classroom note for teachers: this is a strong case study for how scrutiny continues after a consent is granted. You can ask students to compare the certified document list before and after correction, then discuss why drainage strategies and landscape figures matter for real‑world delivery and local accountability.

Mini‑glossary to keep you oriented: a DCO is the formal permission for a nationally significant project; NSIP is the legal label for such a scheme; a correction order is a tightly‑scoped legal fix for slips or omissions in the decision paperwork; the “relevant period” is the six‑week window in which challenges (and correction requests) can be made; and REP codes are the Planning Inspectorate’s tags for examination documents, which help everyone find the exact version used in the case. (publications.parliament.uk)