Solar farm planning trends
Councils received 54 solar farm applications in the 12 months to September 2026, under a quarter of the 255 in the year to August 2025.
Solar farm applications since 2016
Solar farm applications in every 10,000 planning applications, over the 12 months to each month
How this is measuredGrid deadlines, then a fall
The solar farm planning index peaked at 1,414 in the 12 months to August 2025, 14 times its 2016 share, and now stands at 312. The peak coincides with grid connection deadlines set by NESO's Gate 2 reform, in December 2024 and summer 2025.
East Midlands leads
From 2023 to 2025 the East Midlands received 8.7 solar farm applications in every 10,000, the North East 6.6 and Yorkshire and Humber 5.8, against 3.6 across the UK. London received none. North Yorkshire leads the councils, with 36 since 2016.
Q3 2026 against a year earlier
Councils received 7 solar farm applications in Q3 2026, too few to compare their share with a year earlier.
Solar farm applications each quarter
7 in Q3 2026, against 71 a year earlier.
Out of every 10,000 applications
As a share of every application: 0.7 in every 10,000 in Q3 2026, against 6.5 a year earlier.
Where solar farm applications concentrate
By region
Solar farm applications in every 10,000 planning applications, 2023 to 2025
Councils with the most
Applications since 2016
-
North Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber · 5.3 in every 10,000 36 -
Wiltshire
South West · 4.9 in every 10,000 28 -
Somerset
South West · 4.0 in every 10,000 23 -
West Northamptonshire
East Midlands · 6.2 in every 10,000 22 -
Durham
North East · 7.6 in every 10,000 21 -
South Norfolk and Broadland (shared register)
East of England · 6.1 in every 10,000 17 -
South Kesteven
East Midlands · 11 in every 10,000 16 -
Central Bedfordshire
East of England · 5.3 in every 10,000 15 -
East Riding of Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber · 5.0 in every 10,000 15 -
Bassetlaw
East Midlands · 16 in every 10,000 14
Latest solar farm applications
- Land At Sawgate Road Sawgate Road Burton Lazars Construction and operation of a solar photovoltaic farm and ancillary works, together with associated infrastructure including substation, ancillary equipment, security fencing, CCTV, highway access, internal access tracks, landscaping and biodiversity net gain.
- Port Jackson Farm Selby Road Camblesforth North Yorkshire Solar Farm with co-located Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) and associated infrastructure
- Land at and to the south west of Greenlands Equestrian Centre, Wreay, Carlisle Erection Of A Solar Photovoltaic Farm With A Generating Capacity Of Up To 49.9MW, Together With Associated Infrastructure & Landscaping
- Land North Of Fielders Farm Hall Lane, Farringdon, Alton, Hampshire The construction and operation of a 44MW solar PV farm, 2MW BESS and other associated infrastructure (Amended Location Plan)
- Land West Of Newton Farm Tongue Lane Gilberdyke East Riding Of Yorkshire Installation of ground mounted solar photovoltaic farm, construction of substation concrete base with 2.7m high palisade fence enclosure and associated infrastructure, landscaping and environmental enhancements (extension to approved planning application 24/02946/PLF)
- Land South of Taw Valley Creamery North Tawton Construction of a 5.4MWac solar farm including inverters, transformers, cables, CCTV, access tracks, perimeter fencing and landscape works.
How often are they refused?
Of 628 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 19.7% were refused, well above the 11.3% for all applications.
Refusal rate by year
Decisions, applications received 2016 to 2024
- Approved or refused628
- Refused19.7%
- Withdrawn before a decision36
- All applications11.3% refused
Questions
How many solar farm planning applications are there in the UK?
Councils have received 1,111 since January 2016, 54 of them in the 12 months to September 2026. Their share peaked in the 12 months to August 2025.
Which councils receive the most solar farm applications?
North Yorkshire, Wiltshire and Somerset have received the most since 2016.
Are solar farm applications rising or falling?
Falling. Councils received 54 in the 12 months to September 2026, against 255 in the year to August 2025, and the share of all applications is 63% below three years earlier. 2023 was the busiest calendar year, with 206.
How often are solar farm applications refused?
Of 628 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 19.7% were refused, well above the 11.3% for all applications.
About Plota
Plota is the UK's most visited planning search, according to Similarweb. It shows every new planning application from every UK council, read daily from 390 planning registers, with past applications back to 2016 from more than 420 registers, including those of councils since merged. It also covers planning committee decisions, HMO licences and premises licences.
How this is measured
What needs an application
Since 31 December 2025, councils in England decide solar schemes of 50MW to 100MW instead of ministers, so 2026 figures can include larger schemes than earlier years.
Methodology
- What is counted: planning applications to UK councils whose description names solar farms or a close variant of the words, by the date each council received them. These are planning applications, not completed schemes; the largest energy and infrastructure projects are consented nationally rather than by councils, so they sit outside these counts.
- How matches are checked: we read the 200 most recent solar farm applications and 20 from every year since 2016 to confirm each one belongs.
- Topic counts leave out, by design, works to trees and applications that only discharge conditions, amend an earlier permission or approve reserved matters, which follow a scheme already counted. Everything else is counted.
- A share is the number out of every 10,000 applications over the previous 12 months. Each topic is a number in every 10,000 planning applications, so trends compare when overall planning activity changes; the share still moves when either the topic's count or the total does. The solar farm planning index sets the 2016 share at 100, so 200 means twice as common as in 2016.
- Source: the planning registers of every UK council, January 2016 to September 2026, read on 9 November 2026.
- Planning is seasonal, so each quarter is compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Year on year: each topic's and theme's share of all applications in Q3 2026, against Q3 2025, at every council we hold. A share is the number in every 10,000 applications. Shares compare across councils and years; raw counts do not.
- Left out of the topic shares: Birmingham's applications from June to September 2026: a validation backlog at the council since June 2026: of 685 reference numbers it issued in September, its register lists 288. The same months a year earlier are left out too, so every comparison covers the same councils.
- Refusals: applications received 2016 to 2024 and decided, at councils whose published decisions pass our checks against their decision notices. Approvals and refusals count; withdrawals do not. "All applications" means every decision of that kind at the same councils over the same years. Applications received from 2025 are added once most are decided.
- Download the data (CSV): every topic and theme, each quarter since 2016.
Sources
- NESO's Gate 2 connections reform used 20 December 2024 as its cut-off for showing strategic alignment. solarpowerportal.co.uk
- The Gate 2 application window was due to close on 29 July 2025 and was extended to 26 August 2025. neso.energy
- The Infrastructure Planning (Onshore Wind and Solar Generation) Order 2025 raised the NSIP threshold for solar in England from 50MW to 100MW from 31 December 2025. mills-reeve.com