Renewable planning › Solar › Highland
Solar planning in Highland
Highland has decided 13 solar farms and approved 100% of them, taking a median of 2 months to decide. Consented capacity: 5 MW. 4 applications still awaiting a decision.
How Highland compares
Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Highland sits in the 77th percentile for approval rate (7 points above the England average) and the 58th 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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (17)
| Scheme | MW | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
Longman Landfill, Stadium Road - Solar Array The Highland Council · 26/00576/FUL | 9.9 | Application Submitted | 2026-03-16 |
Loch Calder Water Treatment Works, Quarry Brae - Solar Panels Scottish Water Horizons · 26/00090/FUL | 0.33 | Application Submitted | 2026-01-16 |
Scottish Water Challenger Estate - Ground Monted Solar Panels Scottish Water Head Office · 25/04028/CLP · 2.1 mo to decide | 0.33 | Awaiting Construction | 2026-01-09 |
Quarry Brae - Solar PV Panels Scottish Water National Operations Control Centre · 25/02849/FUL · 2 mo to decide | 0.66 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-10-17 |
Loch Calder Water Treatment Work - Solar Panels Scottish Water National Operations Control Centre · 25/02122/CLP · 1.5 mo to decide | 0.66 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-09-23 |
Longman Pumping Station, Longman Drive - Photovoltaic Panels Scottish Water · 24/01344/FUL · 2 mo to decide | 0.65 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-06-11 |
Raddery Smithy - Solar PV System Installation Raddery Sawmill Limited · 23/05176/FUL · 1.8 mo to decide | 0.15 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-03-04 |
Raigmore Hospital, Old Perth Road - Solar Canopy NHS Highland · 23/04285/CLP · 1.9 mo to decide | — | Awaiting Construction | 2023-11-23 |
Shore Road - Distillery and Visitor Centre Dornoch Distillery · 22/06107/FUL · 9.4 mo to decide | 1 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-10-31 |
Longman Pumping Station, Longman Drive - Photovoltaic Panels Scottish Water · 23/01791/FUL · 3.9 mo to decide | 0.65 | Revised | 2023-08-09 |
Feed Millakin - Solar Panels Mowi Scotland Limited · 23/02112/FUL · 2.3 mo to decide | 0.34 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-07-18 |
Harbro Limited, Harbour Road - Solar PV Panels Harbro Limited · 22/05154/FUL | 0.38 | Application Submitted | 2023-01-19 |
Wick Airport Industrial Estate - Solar Panels Nuclear Decommissioning Authority · 22/01234/FUL · 2.8 mo to decide | 0.28 | Awaiting Construction | 2022-06-22 |
Inverness Royal Academy The Highland Council · 20/01072/FUL · 6.3 mo to decide | 0.3 | Planning Permission Expired | 2020-09-14 |
Lochaber High School (Resubmission) Highland Council · 19/02587/FUL · 2.1 mo to decide | 0.3 | Operational | 2019-08-16 |
Alness Academy Highland Council · 18/05963/FUL · 2 mo to decide | 0.5 | Under Construction | 2019-03-29 |
Invergordon Academy Highland Council · 18/05962/FUL · 1.5 mo to decide | 0.2 | Operational | 2019-02-27 |
Does Highland approve solar farms?
Yes — of the 13 solar farms Highland has decided, 100% were approved (13 granted, 0 refused). The UK-wide rate for solar is 93%.
How long does a solar farm application take in Highland?
The median time from application to decision is 2 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 Highland consented?
5 MW has been consented across 13 approved schemes. A further 4 applications awaits a decision.
Other technologies in Highland
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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