Novarly ParcelRenewable planning

Renewable planning SolarPlymouth

Solar planning in Plymouth

Plymouth has decided 26 solar farms and approved 100% of them, taking a median of 1.7 months to decide. Consented capacity: 30 MW. 2 applications still awaiting a decision.

100%
Approved
26 granted · 0 refused
1.7 mo
Median decision
UK 2.3 mo
30 MW
Consented
across approved schemes
0
Appeals
no appeals recorded

How Plymouth compares

Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Plymouth sits in the 77th percentile for approval rate (7 points above the England average) and the 87th percentile for speed.

Decisions by year

510Approved — 1 (2015)115Approved — 3 (2021)321Approved — 3 (2022)322Approved — 9 (2023)923Approved — 1 (2024)124Approved — 4 (2025)425
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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (28)

SchemeMWStatusDecided
Lipson Community College, Bernice Terrace - Solar Panels
Located Property Limited · 25/01304/GPD · 1.7 mo to decide
0.34Awaiting Construction2025-12-04
Derriford Hospital, Derriford Road - Solar Panels
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust · 25/00961/GPD · 1.5 mo to decide
Awaiting Construction2025-09-23
Notre Dame Roman Catholic School, Notre Dame Close - Solar Panels
Department For Education · 25/00203/GPD · 1.3 mo to decide
0.16Awaiting Construction2025-03-25
Sainsburys Supermarket, Plymouth Road - Solar PV System
Sainsburys Supermarkets Limited · 25/00171/GPD · 1.4 mo to decide
0.91Awaiting Construction2025-03-18
Sugar Mill Industrial Estate, Billacombe Road - Solar Panels
The Range Home & Leisure Limited · 24/01061/GPD · 1.6 mo to decide
0.26Awaiting Construction2024-10-03
Princess Yachts Limited, Coypool Road - Solar Panels
Princess Yachts Limited · 23/00903/GPD · 1.7 mo to decide
0.75Awaiting Construction2023-08-11
Princess Yachts Limited, Coypool Road - Solar Panels
Princess Yachts · 23/00904/GPD · 1.7 mo to decide
0.7Awaiting Construction2023-08-11
Princess Yachts Limited, Coypool Road - Solar Panels
Princess Yachts · 23/00901/GPD · 1.7 mo to decide
0.55Awaiting Construction2023-08-11
Princess Yachts Limited, Coypool Road - Solar Panels
Princess Yachts Limited · 23/00902/GPD · 1.7 mo to decide
0.3Awaiting Construction2023-08-11
Kawasaki Factory, Ernesettle Lane - Solar Panels
Kawasaki Precision Machinery UK Limited · 23/00524/GPD · 1.8 mo to decide
Awaiting Construction2023-06-06
Aldermans Tooling, Bell Close - Solar PV Panels
Alderman Tooling Limited · 23/00132/GPD · 1.6 mo to decide
0.27Awaiting Construction2023-03-21
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place - Solar Panels
Plymouth Marine Laboratory · 23/00055/FUL · 1.8 mo to decide
0.15Awaiting Construction2023-03-15
Roborough Solar Farm
Regener8 Power (South Hampshire) · 4072/22/FUL · 3.5 mo to decide
2.65Awaiting Construction2023-03-09
Roborough Solar Farm
Regener8 Power (Plymouth) · 22/01922/FUL · 3.4 mo to decide
2.65Awaiting Construction2023-03-03
Seaton Court, William Prance Road - Solar Panels
JCA Engineering Limited · 22/01690/GPD · 1.5 mo to decide
0.23Awaiting Construction2022-11-22
Chelson Meadow - Solar Farm
PEC Renewables Limited & Plymouth City Council · 22/00219/FUL · 4.1 mo to decide
13Awaiting Construction2022-06-24
Morrisons supermarket - Roof mounted Solar Photovoltaics
WM Morrisons Supermarkets Plc · 22/00303/GPD · 2.4 mo to decide
0.67Awaiting Construction2022-05-05
Princess Yachts Limited - Solar PV system
Princess Yachts International · 21/01452/GPD
0.7Under Construction2021-07-30
Plymouth Road, Plympton - Solar photovoltaic panels
Lidl Great Britain · 21/01060/GPD · 1.6 mo to decide
0.18Awaiting Construction2021-07-27
Armada Way Solar panels
Plymouth City Council · 21/00075/FUL · 3.4 mo to decide
Awaiting Construction2021-04-29
Council House
Plymouth City Council · 21/00078/FUL · 1.8 mo to decide
Awaiting Construction2021-03-11
Princess Yachts Ltd (1)
Eden Sustainable · 20/00161/GPD
0.5Planning Permission Expired2020-03-05
Princess Yachts Ltd (4)
Eden Sustainable · 20/00157/GPD
0.2Planning Permission Expired2020-03-05
Princess Yachts Ltd (3)
Eden Sustainable · 20/00159/GPD
0.3Planning Permission Expired2020-03-05
Princess Yachts Ltd (2)
Eden Sustainable · 20/00165/GPD
0.6Planning Permission Expired2020-03-05
Princess Yachts Ltd (5)
Eden Sustainable · 20/00086/GPD
1Revised2020-03-05
Tamerton Road
Roborough Solar · 04/2253/15/F · 4.9 mo to decide
4.9Revised2016-03-10
Ernesettle Solar Farm
PEC Renewables · 15/01377/FUL · 2.1 mo to decide
4.1Operational2015-09-25

Does Plymouth approve solar farms?

Yes — of the 26 solar farms Plymouth has decided, 100% were approved (26 granted, 0 refused). The UK-wide rate for solar is 93%.

How long does a solar farm application take in Plymouth?

The median time from application to decision is 1.7 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 Plymouth consented?

30 MW has been consented across 26 approved schemes. A further 2 applications awaits a decision.

Other technologies in Plymouth

Battery storage in PlymouthOnshore wind in Plymouth

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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