Wind turbine planning trends
The wind turbine planning index stands at 115, 15% above its 2016 share of applications but below its 2023 high of 160.
Wind turbine applications since 2016
Wind turbine applications in every 10,000 planning applications, over the 12 months to each month
How this is measuredFrom a 2019 low to a 2023 high
The wind turbine planning index stood at 73 in the 12 months to September 2019, then climbed to 160 in the 12 months to April 2023, the highest since 2016. It stood at 115 in September 2026, on 197 applications.
Northern Ireland and Scotland lead
From 2023 to 2025 Northern Ireland had 59 wind turbine applications in every 10,000 and Scotland 21, against 4.7 across the UK. Northern Ireland's many single farm turbines are now being replaced. In England, onshore wind was all but closed off from 2015 to 2024.
Q3 2026 against a year earlier
Councils received 31 wind turbine applications in Q3 2026, too few to compare their share with a year earlier.
Wind turbine applications each quarter
31 in Q3 2026, against 50 a year earlier.
Out of every 10,000 applications
As a share of every application: 3.0 in every 10,000 in Q3 2026, against 4.6 a year earlier.
Where wind turbine applications concentrate
By region
Wind turbine applications in every 10,000 planning applications, 2023 to 2025
Councils with the most
Applications since 2016
-
Fermanagh and Omagh
Northern Ireland · 127 in every 10,000 138 -
Highland
Scotland · 37 in every 10,000 131 -
Aberdeenshire
Scotland · 38 in every 10,000 92 -
Causeway Coast and Glens
Northern Ireland · 65 in every 10,000 82 -
Derry City and Strabane
Northern Ireland · 84 in every 10,000 77 -
Mid Ulster
Northern Ireland · 46 in every 10,000 68 -
South Lanarkshire
Scotland · 41 in every 10,000 67 -
Dumfries and Galloway
Scotland · 39 in every 10,000 64 -
Shetland Islands
Scotland · 157 in every 10,000 56 -
Mid and East Antrim
Northern Ireland · 59 in every 10,000 51
Latest wind turbine applications
- Brecks Farm Wind Turbine Near Brecks Lane Kippax Leeds Removal of existing wind turbine and Erection of new wind turbine with a maximum tip height of 48.0m (30.5m to hub)
- Sprite Lane Billinghay Sleaford Change of use of agricultural land to domestic use in association with the dwelling house approved under application 24/1094/VARCON, for the erection of solar panels, a wind turbine, a plant room building and landscaping.
- Wind Turbine Worthyvale Manor Slaughter Bridge Camelford Cornwall Erection of a replacement wind turbine.
- Wind Farm Site Isle Of Eigg Erection of 3 wind turbines with a maximum hub height of 23m and a maximum tip height of 39.5m and associated infrastructure
- Replacement wind turbine land 525 metres West of Derwllwydion, Llawr-Y-Glyn, Caersws Erection of one 31.5m to hub (46m to tip) wind turbine (to replace existing turbine) with control box and all associated works
- Mawgan Porth Golf Club Mawgan Porth Newquay Cornwall Professional pre application advice for erection of a wind turbine the turbine would have a hub height of 44 metres and a blade tip height of 70 metres.
How often are they refused?
Of 1,309 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 17.5% were refused, well above the 11.3% for all applications.
Refusal rate by year
Decisions, applications received 2016 to 2024
- Approved or refused1,309
- Refused17.5%
- Withdrawn before a decision221
- All applications11.3% refused
Questions
How many wind turbine planning applications are there in the UK?
Councils have received 2,441 since January 2016, 197 of them in the 12 months to September 2026. Their share peaked in the 12 months to April 2023.
Which councils receive the most wind turbine applications?
Fermanagh and Omagh, Highland and Aberdeenshire have received the most since 2016.
Are wind turbine planning applications rising?
They are below a recent high. The wind turbine planning index reached 160 in the 12 months to April 2023, the highest since 2016, and stood at 115 in September 2026. The share over 12 months is 24% below three years earlier.
How often are wind turbine applications refused?
Of 1,309 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 17.5% 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
Scottish Ministers consent onshore wind above 50MW, and since 31 December 2025 English schemes above 100MW go to national consent rather than to councils.
Methodology
- What is counted: planning applications to UK councils whose description names wind turbines 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 wind turbine 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 wind turbine 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
- Onshore wind schemes above 50MW in Scotland are consented by Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, not by councils. gov.scot
- Onshore wind above 100MW in England returned to the nationally significant infrastructure regime from 31 December 2025. legislation.gov.uk