Planning constraints → National Landscape (AONB)
Renewable schemes in a National Landscape (AONB): what the record shows
Of 32 solar farms decided since 2018 inside National Landscape (AONB) in England, 84% were approved — 10 points lower than the 94% outside it. A real penalty — and also proof that a designation raises the bar rather than closing the door.
What the designation is
A National Landscape, still widely called an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is designated for the quality of its scenery and carries the same landscape protection as a National Park. There are 46 in England and Wales, covering roughly an eighth of England.
The policy test: Great weight is given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty, and major development is to be refused other than in exceptional circumstances where it can be shown to be in the public interest. The practical battleground is landscape and visual impact assessment: whether the scheme reads as an intrusion in views that the designation exists to protect. Screening, topography and the scale of the array usually matter more than the designation line itself.
What actually happened, in decisions since 2018
| Technology | Decided inside | Approved inside | Approved outside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar · ground-mounted | 32 | 84% | 94% | -10 pts |
| Battery storage | 21 | 81% | 92% | -11 pts |
| Onshore wind | 3 | — | — | too few |
A rate is withheld below 20 recorded decisions, because a percentage from a handful of cases is noise dressed as evidence. England only — that is where the boundaries are published. Restricted to decisions from 2018 on: pooling every year mixes planning regimes, and for some designations the gap has moved a long way since. The overview page shows both windows side by side.
Where the national average stops being useful
The same designation is not administered the same way everywhere. These are the authorities holding the most schemes inside a National Landscape (AONB), and how they decided them.
Solar
| Dorset | 11 decided | 73% approved |
Authorities with fewer than 10 decided schemes inside the designation are left out entirely.
Common questions
Can you get planning permission for a solar farm in a National Landscape (AONB)?
Of 32 solar farms decided since 2018 inside National Landscape (AONB) in England, 84% were approved — 10 points lower than the 94% outside it. So it is harder, and it is not a prohibition. Great weight is given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty, and major development is to be refused other than in exceptional circumstances where it can be shown to be in the public interest. The practical battleground is landscape and visual impact assessment: whether the scheme reads as an intrusion in views that the designation exists to protect. Screening, topography and the scale of the array usually matter more than the designation line itself.
How is this figure calculated?
By joining two open government datasets: the Renewable Energy Planning Database, which records the outcome and location of every renewable scheme of roughly 150 kW and above, and planning.data.gov.uk, which publishes the designation boundaries. Each scheme’s coordinate is tested against each boundary. Nothing is modelled — it is a count of what was decided.
What does this figure not tell me?
It is an association, not a cause. Sites are not randomly assigned to designations, so a scheme inside one usually differs from one outside in size, siting and how much work went into the application. The planning database also gives one representative coordinate per scheme rather than a red-line boundary, the boundaries are published for England only, and for solar only ground-mounted schemes are counted. It calibrates the size of the hill; it does not predict your application.
The boundary matters more than the map. Enter a postcode or coordinates and we check which designations contain that exact point, alongside the local authority's own record, the land grade, flood risk, topography and grid context.
All constraintsApproval rates by councilSolar planning guide
Sources: Renewable Energy Planning Database (DESNZ, Open Government Licence v3.0) for outcomes; planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG, Open Government Licence) for the National Landscape (AONB) boundaries. England only. Recomputed from the current data on every rebuild.
Novarly Parcel · official public data, read properly · parcel.novarly.com