Novarly ParcelRenewable planning

Renewable planning SolarDacorum

Solar planning in Dacorum

Dacorum has decided 12 solar farms and approved 92% of them, taking a median of 1.8 months to decide. Consented capacity: 41 MW. 3 applications still awaiting a decision.

92%
Approved
11 granted · 1 refused
1.8 mo
Median decision
UK 2.3 mo
41 MW
Consented
5 MW refused
1
Appeals
0 allowed on appeal

How Dacorum compares

Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Dacorum sits in the 31st percentile for approval rate (1 points below the England average) and the 74th percentile for speed.

Decisions by year

35Approved — 1 (2014)114Refused — 1 (2016)116Approved — 2 (2019)219Approved — 1 (2022)122Approved — 1 (2023)123Approved — 3 (2024)324Approved — 3 (2025)325
Approved Refused

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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (15)

SchemeMWStatusDecided
London Road Retail Park, Unit A - Solar Panels
Unknown · 25/03132/OTD
0.15Application Submitted2026-01-05
Pudds Cross Farm, Pudds Cross - Solar Panels & Battery Energy Storage
BSR Energy · 25/01535/MFA · 6 mo to decide
22Awaiting Construction2025-12-23
Ashlyns Nursing Home, Chesham Road - Solar Panels
B&M Care Limited · 25/01053/FUL · 4.3 mo to decide
0.16Awaiting Construction2025-09-10
G Park, Maxted Road - Solar Panels
ABRDN · 25/01534/OTD · 2.5 mo to decide
0.77Awaiting Construction2025-09-03
Dacorum Sports Centre, Park Road - Solar PV Panels
Dacorum Borough Council · 24/02088/OTD · 1.6 mo to decide
0.32Awaiting Construction2024-11-06
The Snowcentre, St Albans Hill - Solar Panels
Hemel Snow Centre · 24/00841/FUL · 1.3 mo to decide
0.85Awaiting Construction2024-05-20
The Mount Hmp, Molyneaux Avenue - Solar Panels
Ministry of Justice · 24/00726/OTD · 1.5 mo to decide
Awaiting Construction2024-05-12
The Snowcentre, St Albans Hill - Solar Panels
Hemel Snow Centre · 23/01472/OTD · 1.8 mo to decide
Revised2023-08-09
Century House, Maylands Avenue - Solar PV Panels
Smiths Detection Limited · 23/00121/OTD · 1.8 mo to decide
0.72Awaiting Construction2023-03-13
G Park Maxted Road - Solar Panels
BBUKPF · 22/01770/FUL · 1.5 mo to decide
1.25Awaiting Construction2022-07-18
Little Heath Lane - Solar PV Array
Energi Generation · 22/01106/MFA
25Application Submitted2022-04-11
Amazon Boundary Way
Amazon UK Services / Push Energy · 4/00368/19/FUL · 4.7 mo to decide
2Planning Permission Expired2019-07-18
Iron Mountain Site
Iron Mountain · 4/00363/19/OTD · 1.7 mo to decide
0.3Operational2019-04-17
Flamsteadbury Farm
PS Renewables · 4/02486/15/MFA · 13.2 mo to decide
4.5Appeal Refused2016-11-30
Folly Farm
Hive Energy · 4/02099/14/MFA · 3 mo to decide
13.1Operational2014-11-11

Does Dacorum approve solar farms?

Yes — of the 12 solar farms Dacorum has decided, 92% were approved (11 granted, 1 refused). The UK-wide rate for solar is 93%.

How long does a solar farm application take in Dacorum?

The median time from application to decision is 1.8 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 Dacorum consented?

41 MW has been consented across 11 approved schemes, with 5 MW refused. A further 3 applications awaits a decision.

Other technologies in Dacorum

Battery storage in DacorumOnshore wind in Dacorum

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.

Novarly Parcel · official public data, read properly · parcel.novarly.com

Screen a specific site here · All authorities · UK property report