Vattenfall plans up to 32 turbines, 220m tall, on the fens west of Lakenheath. Early comments close on 9 November; a decision is due in 2028.
An energy company wants to build up to 32 wind turbines, each up to 220 metres to the blade tip, on the fens west of Lakenheath. The site spans the border of West Suffolk, East Cambridgeshire and west Norfolk. People can send early comments to the developer until Monday 9 November.
The scheme is Vattenfall’s Redmere Wind Farm. The company says the site is on land to the north and south of Shippea Hill railway station, and west of Feltwell and Lakenheath (Vattenfall). Shippea Hill is about 18 miles north west of Bury St Edmunds, as the crow flies, and just over the county line in Cambridgeshire.
What is proposed
Vattenfall’s scoping report, sent to the Planning Inspectorate in September, describes the scheme as:
- up to 32 turbines, with a maximum tip height of 220 metres
- an installed capacity of about 303 megawatts
- a battery energy storage system on the site
- an on-site substation, transformers and buried cables
- new or upgraded access tracks and entrances from the public roads
- temporary construction compounds and “borrow pits” dug to source stone on site
(scoping report, project booklet)
The company says that would be enough electricity for up to 218,804 average UK homes a year. The turbines would run for around 40 years. Construction is expected to take 12 to 18 months.
The grid connection is not part of the application. The scoping report names Burwell Main substation, north west of Newmarket, as the point of connection. Any cable route between the site and Burwell would need its own consent.
Oversized loads such as blades and tower sections are expected to come from the Port of Great Yarmouth, the report says. The route will be set out later.
Vattenfall stresses that surveys are still under way and the figures may change.
Why it is not a West Suffolk planning decision
A wind farm of more than 100 megawatts is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. That means West Suffolk Council does not decide it.
Instead Vattenfall will apply for a Development Consent Order. The Planning Inspectorate examines it and makes a recommendation. The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero makes the final decision.
The Planning Inspectorate’s project page, reference EN0110042, says the application is expected in July 2027 (Planning Inspectorate). Vattenfall’s booklet puts a decision in 2028.
What the council said
West Suffolk Council backed a motion at its meeting on 13 October that names Redmere. The council published it on 20 October (West Suffolk Council).
The motion does not oppose the wind farm. It says the council recognises the need for renewable energy. It resolves to:
- engage “fully and at the earliest appropriate opportunity” with Redmere and other national infrastructure schemes affecting the district
- press for rigorous assessment of each scheme’s effects, alone and together
- call on the Government and developers to consult affected communities, parish and town councils properly
The same motion reaffirmed the council’s opposition to the Forest City proposal, a privately promoted plan for up to 400,000 homes between Cambridge, Newmarket and Haverhill.
Cllr Joe Mason, who seconded it, said it was “about making sure the voice of local residents who have to live with the consequences of these developments are front and centre, such as in the case of Redmere”.
How close the turbines would be
Vattenfall has not fixed where each turbine would go. But its scoping report proposes viewpoints for the landscape assessment, and gives each one’s rough distance from the nearest turbine.
| Viewpoint | Distance to nearest turbine |
|---|---|
| Feltwell | 2.9 km |
| RSPB Lakenheath Fen | 3.5 km |
| Beck Row and the A1101 | 4.5 km |
| Lakenheath | 5.7 km |
| Isleham | 6.3 km |
| Weeting | 9.5 km |
| Brandon | 13 km |
The report uses the Beck Row viewpoint to stand for views from Mildenhall. It proposes no viewpoint for Bury St Edmunds or the A14, because of the distance.
RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall
The site sits right next to the two air bases. The scoping report says the combined military air traffic zone around RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall lies “immediately to the south and south-east of the Site”. It says that indicates “a potentially important interaction with military aviation activities”.
Vattenfall says it is consulting the Ministry of Defence, the US Air Forces in Europe, the Civil Aviation Authority and NATS. The effect on radar and flying will be assessed in its environmental statement.
The report also lists nature sites close by. Lakenheath Fen is a county wildlife site 370 metres from the site boundary.
What it means for you
- You can comment now. Vattenfall’s early feedback form is open to Monday 9 November, on the project page. You can also email Redmere@vattenfall.com or call 020 320 65 961.
- This is not the formal consultation. It is the developer gathering early views. The statutory consultation, with visualisations and a draft layout, is due in early 2027.
- The first drop-in sessions have been and gone. They were at Feltwell, Mepal and Littleport on 13 to 15 October. None was in Suffolk. Vattenfall says more events will follow in early 2027.
- Your say to the Inspectorate comes later. Once the application is accepted, anyone can register as an “interested party” and take part in the examination.
Vattenfall is also planning a second wind farm, Chatteris Wind Farm, about 20 kilometres west of Redmere. It is a separate application.
For other schemes going through the system, see our Bury St Edmunds planning news page.
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