Planning Consent Awarded

North Falls Offshore Wind Farm is currently awaiting a development consent decision under the UK Planning Act 2008, with a statutory deadline now set for 14 May 2026. The project’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application was submitted on 26 July 2024 and accepted for Examination by the Planning Inspectorate on 22 August 2024, after which the project entered the Pre‑examination and then Examination stages. The Examination period formally concluded on 28 July 2025, and on 28 October 2025 the Examining Authority’s recommendation was sent to the Secretary of State for consideration. Since then, the Secretary of State has undertaken several rounds of consultation with interested parties and issued multiple information requests, while also extending the decision deadline. On 15 January 2026 the statutory deadline was first reset, and on 26 March 2026 it was reset again, with the Planning Inspectorate’s project page confirming that the North Falls application is at the ‘decision stage’ and that the date for completion of this stage is 14 May 2026. The developer’s own current status update corroborates that a decision from the Secretary of State on whether to grant development consent is expected on that date. If the DCO is granted, North Falls can proceed, subject to securing a Contract for Difference and taking Final Investment Decision.