Solar Power: Planning Permission
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure consistency in his planning decisions on applications for solar farm with proposed generating capacity above 50 MW.
Answered by Michael Shanks
Decisions on consent applications for ‘nationally significant’ projects are made in accordance with legislation set out in the Planning Act 2008, and the relevant National Policy Statement made in accordance with that Act. For solar, this is the Renewable Energy National Policy Statement, which sets out how nationally significant solar projects should be assessed.
For solar farms with a generating capacity below the ‘nationally significant’ threshold,
planning decisions are made by Local Planning Authorities in line with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The threshold for solar projects is currently 50MW but is increasing to 100MW from 31 December 2025.
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