Renewable planning › Solar › Cambridge
Solar planning in Cambridge
Cambridge has decided 6 solar farms and approved 100% of them, taking a median of 1.9 months to decide. Consented capacity: 1 MW. 3 applications still awaiting a decision.
⚠️ Small caseload (6 decided). Percentages here move a lot with one more decision — read them as indicative, not as a reliable rate.
How Cambridge compares
Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Cambridge sits in the 77th percentile for approval rate (7 points above the England average) and the 62nd percentile for speed.
Decisions by year
Solar decisions by the year the decision was issued (Renewable Energy Planning Database). Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.
Every recorded scheme (9)
| Scheme | MW | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
Cambridge University Hospital, Hills Road - Solar PV Panels Cambridge University Hospital · 25/04434/FUL · 1.7 mo to decide | — | Awaiting Construction | 2026-01-06 |
Kings College, West Road - Solar Photovoltaic panels King's College Cambridge · 25/03591/FUL · 2.9 mo to decide | — | Awaiting Construction | 2025-12-17 |
Cambridge University Hospital, Hills Road - Solar PV Panels Cambridge University Hospital · 25/04336/PRIOR | — | Revised | 2025-11-06 |
Lion Yard Shopping Centre, Lion Yard - Solar photovoltaic panels Abrdn · 23/02243/FUL · 1.9 mo to decide | 0.33 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-08-11 |
Lion Yard Shopping Centre, St Tibbs Row - Solar Panels Abrdn · 23/00302/PRIOR · 1.7 mo to decide | 0.33 | Revised | 2023-03-20 |
Levidian Nanosystems, Levidian Technology Centre - Solar Panels Levidian · 22/05397/FUL | 0.18 | Application Submitted | 2022-12-16 |
St Andrews Street - Roof mounted solar panels Jesus College · 22/01203/FUL · 2.9 mo to decide | 0.15 | Awaiting Construction | 2022-06-06 |
Cambridge Parkside Pool Cambridge City Council · 21/02240/FUL · 3.4 mo to decide | — | Awaiting Construction | 2021-08-27 |
St Bedes Inter-Church School Solar Options for Schools · 19/0136/C14P14 · 1.7 mo to decide | 1 | Awaiting Construction | 2019-03-29 |
Does Cambridge approve solar farms?
Yes — of the 6 solar farms Cambridge has decided, 100% were approved (6 granted, 0 refused). The UK-wide rate for solar is 93%. Note this is a small caseload, so treat the percentage as indicative rather than statistically robust.
How long does a solar farm application take in Cambridge?
The median time from application to decision is 1.9 months, against a UK median of 2.3 months for solar. That is measured between the submission and decision dates recorded in REPD, so it reflects the whole determination period including any extensions.
How much solar capacity has Cambridge consented?
1 MW has been consented across 6 approved schemes. A further 3 applications awaits a decision.
Other technologies in Cambridge
Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Open Government Licence v3.0 — 2026 Q1 extract. Approval rate is over decided applications only (approved ÷ approved+refused); withdrawn and undecided schemes are excluded. A permission later expired still counts as approved because consent was granted. REPD covers schemes of roughly 150 kW and above, is published quarterly, and does not record refusal reasons — so nothing here explains why a scheme was refused. Screening context for site selection, not planning advice.
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