Renewable planning › Solar › Epping Forest
Solar planning in Epping Forest
Epping Forest has decided 9 solar farms and approved 89% of them, taking a median of 6.3 months to decide. Consented capacity: 108 MW. 1 application still awaiting a decision.
How Epping Forest compares
Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Epping Forest sits in the 24th percentile for approval rate (4 points below the England average) and the 3rd 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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (10)
| Scheme | MW | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
Thrift Solar Farm and BESS IB Vogt UK Limited · EPF/1216/25 · 6 mo to decide | 30 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-12-24 |
The Scout Association, Gilwell Park - Solar Panels The Scout Association Trust Corp · EPF/2084/25 · 1 mo to decide | 0.15 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-11-11 |
Upland Road - 49.9 Megawatt Solar Panels Low Carbon Limited · EPF/1428/25 | 49.9 | Application Submitted | 2025-07-16 |
Nickerlands Solar Farm - Solar Farm AR Toot Hill Limited · EPF/1546/24 · 6.6 mo to decide | 25 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-02-20 |
West Essex Golf Club, Bury Road - Solar Farm West Essex GC Green Energy Limited · EPF/2596/23 · 14.8 mo to decide | 10.7 | Application Refused | 2025-02-19 |
Aerzen House, Langston Road - Solar Panels Development At Aerzen House · EPF/2407/24 · 1.3 mo to decide | 0.15 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-01-06 |
Gilwell Park, Bury Road - Solar Panels Scouts Association · EPF/0935/23 · 12.5 mo to decide | 0.62 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-05-10 |
East End Solar Farm Low Carbon Solar Park 18 · EPF/1974/22 · 20.2 mo to decide | 49.9 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-05-03 |
Rolls Farm Barns, Hastingwood Road - Solar Panels Peregrine Live Foods · EPF/2367/22 · 3.4 mo to decide | 0.5 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-01-25 |
Waltham Point Distribution Centre Sainsburys Supermarkets Limited | 1.8 | Operational | — |
Does Epping Forest approve solar farms?
Yes — of the 9 solar farms Epping Forest has decided, 89% were approved (8 granted, 1 refused). The UK-wide rate for solar is 93%.
How long does a solar farm application take in Epping Forest?
The median time from application to decision is 6.3 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 Epping Forest consented?
108 MW has been consented across 8 approved schemes, with 11 MW refused. A further 1 application awaits a decision.
Other technologies in Epping Forest
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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