Planning constraints → Conservation area
Renewable schemes in a conservation area: what the record shows
Of 44 solar farms decided since 2018 inside Conservation area 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 conservation area is designated by the local authority for the special architectural or historic interest of its character or appearance. There are around 10,000 in England, and they are usually settlements or parts of settlements rather than open countryside — which is why relatively few field-scale schemes fall inside one.
The policy test: The statutory duty is to pay special attention to preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the area. Harm to a designated heritage asset requires clear and convincing justification, and less-than-substantial harm is weighed against the public benefits of the proposal. In practice a scheme inside a conservation area is arguing about setting and views, and permitted development rights are often restricted too.
What actually happened, in decisions since 2018
| Technology | Decided inside | Approved inside | Approved outside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar · ground-mounted | 44 | 84% | 94% | -10 pts |
| Battery storage | 41 | 95% | 92% | +3 pts |
| Onshore wind | 2 | — | — | 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.
Common questions
Can you get planning permission for a solar farm in a conservation area?
Of 44 solar farms decided since 2018 inside Conservation area in England, 84% were approved — 10 points lower than the 94% outside it. So it is harder, and it is not a prohibition. The statutory duty is to pay special attention to preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the area. Harm to a designated heritage asset requires clear and convincing justification, and less-than-substantial harm is weighed against the public benefits of the proposal. In practice a scheme inside a conservation area is arguing about setting and views, and permitted development rights are often restricted too.
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 Conservation area boundaries. England only. Recomputed from the current data on every rebuild.
Novarly Parcel · official public data, read properly · parcel.novarly.com