Renewable planning › Solar › Midlothian
Solar planning in Midlothian
Midlothian has decided 7 solar farms and approved 100% of them, taking a median of 2 months to decide. Consented capacity: 4 MW. 2 applications still awaiting a decision.
⚠️ Small caseload (7 decided). Percentages here move a lot with one more decision — read them as indicative, not as a reliable rate.
How Midlothian compares
Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Midlothian 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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (9)
| Scheme | MW | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
Rullion Road - Solar Array Scottish Water · 25/00115/DPP · 1.3 mo to decide | 0.26 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-04-08 |
Hawthornden Castle - Solar PV Array Hawthornden Literary Retreat · 23/00685/DPP · 5.4 mo to decide | 0.2 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-04-09 |
Silverburn Water Tank, Hopelands Road - Solar Array Scottish Water · 22/00727/DPP · 10.4 mo to decide | 0.24 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-09-01 |
Sainsburys Supermarket, Straiton Mains - Solar Panels E ON UK Heat Limited · 23/00522/DPP | 0.55 | Application Submitted | 2023-08-14 |
Edinburgh College, Dalhousie Road - Solar Array Edinburgh College · 23/00323/DPP · 1.3 mo to decide | 0.19 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-07-04 |
Butlerfield Industrial Estate - Solar Array Nairns Oatcakes Limited · 22/00798/DPP · 2 mo to decide | 0.37 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-01-13 |
Old Dalkeith Road, Danderhall - Solar panels David Lloyd Leisure Limited · 22/00200/DPP · 1.3 mo to decide | 0.15 | Awaiting Construction | 2022-04-27 |
James Hamilton Way - Solar Farm Private Developer · 22/00104/DPP | — | Application Submitted | 2022-02-16 |
Easter Bush University of Edinburgh (Estates Department) · 19/00022/DPP · 33.3 mo to decide | 3 | Under Construction | 2021-10-22 |
Does Midlothian approve solar farms?
Yes — of the 7 solar farms Midlothian has decided, 100% were approved (7 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 Midlothian?
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 Midlothian consented?
4 MW has been consented across 7 approved schemes. A further 2 applications awaits a decision.
Other technologies in Midlothian
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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