Substation planning trends
The substation planning index stands at 197, almost double its 2016 share of applications, but 11% below three years earlier and under its 2024 peak.
Substation applications since 2016
Substation applications in every 10,000 planning applications, over the 12 months to each month
How this is measuredA two-year step, then a slow fall
Substations took 14 in every 10,000 applications in 2021 and 28 in 2023, almost double in two years. The substation planning index peaked at 231 in the 12 months to August 2024. By September 2026 it was 197, almost double the 2016 share.
Highest in the North East
From 2023 to 2025 the North East received 51 substation applications in every 10,000, Yorkshire and Humber 38 and the North West 35, against 25 across the UK. London was lowest, on 15. Leeds leads all councils, with 166 since 2016.
Q3 2026 against a year earlier
Councils received 247 substation applications in Q3 2026: 24 in every 10,000 applications, against 26 in Q3 2025, a share of all applications 8% lower than a year earlier.
Substation applications each quarter
247 in Q3 2026, against 284 a year earlier.
Out of every 10,000 applications
As a share of every application: 24 in every 10,000 in Q3 2026, against 26 a year earlier.
Where substation applications concentrate
By region
Substation applications in every 10,000 planning applications, 2023 to 2025
Councils with the most
Applications since 2016
-
Leeds
Yorkshire and Humber · 28 in every 10,000 166 -
North Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber · 20 in every 10,000 137 -
Cornwall
South West · 17 in every 10,000 129 -
Northumberland
North East · 41 in every 10,000 111 -
East Riding of Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber · 36 in every 10,000 106 -
Liverpool
North West · 37 in every 10,000 102 -
Highland
Scotland · 27 in every 10,000 93 -
Westminster
London · 15 in every 10,000 90 -
Somerset
South West · 15 in every 10,000 87 -
West Northamptonshire
East Midlands · 24 in every 10,000 85
Latest substation applications
- B&Q Carmarthen - Pensarn, Unit 1 To 3, Parc Pensarn, Llangunnor, Carmarthen Installation of electric vehicle charging points – comprising chargepoint upstands, supporting electrical equipment, including a substation, cabinet infrastructure and electrical cabling
- Snooty Fox The Snooty Fox, Haslett Avenue East, Three Bridges, Crawley Certificate of Lawfulness for the proposed installation of three electric vehicle charging stations alongside an associated substation and feeder pillar, in accordance with Class E of the Town and County Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015
- Bayston Hill Substation Lower Pulley Lane Bayston Hill Shrewsbury Shropshire Extension to existing 33/11kV primary substation, comprising a single storey 33kV control room/switchroom building, palisade fencing, lighting, and ancillary works.
- Electricity Substations West of Unit 5, Fougeres Way, Ashford Erection of 3 no. substations and associated works
- Dan Y Castell Farm Pontsarn Road Pontsarn Merthyr Tydfil Construction of a new water treatment works and associated infrastructure including an electricity substation, clean water tank, processing plant, pumping stations, underground pipelines, landscaping, access, engineering works, demolition of redundant buildings and the diversion of a public right of way.
- Land to the south of Golden Cross Roundabout, Poyle 2, Slough Lawful development certificate for proposed installation of 7no. dual port EV charging upstands; and 1 no. substation, 1 no. LV Feeder Pillar, and 2no and charging cabinets on an existing car park.
How often are they refused?
Of 6,947 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 6.0% were refused, below the 11.3% for all applications.
Refusal rate by year
Decisions, applications received 2016 to 2024
- Approved or refused6,947
- Refused6.0%
- Withdrawn before a decision533
- All applications11.3% refused
Questions
How many substation planning applications are there in the UK?
Councils have received 10,345 since January 2016, 1,037 of them in the 12 months to September 2026. Their share peaked in the 12 months to August 2024.
Where are the most substation applications made?
Leeds, North Yorkshire and Cornwall have received the most since 2016.
How often are substation applications refused?
Of 6,947 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 6.0% were refused, below the 11.3% for all applications.
Do these figures count every new substation?
It counts substations that need planning permission. In England, licensed electricity companies can install substations on their own operational land without it.
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
In England, licensed electricity companies can build substations on their own operational land without planning permission, so these figures lean towards substations proposed as part of another development.
Methodology
- What is counted: planning applications to UK councils whose description names substations 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 substation 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 substation 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
- Part 15 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 lets licensed electricity undertakers install switching stations and other development on their operational land without a planning application, within height limits of up to 15 metres. legislation.gov.uk