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Renewable planning SolarPreston

Solar planning in Preston

Preston has decided 10 solar farms and approved 100% of them, taking a median of 1.8 months to decide. Consented capacity: 11 MW.

100%
Approved
10 granted · 0 refused
1.8 mo
Median decision
UK 2.3 mo
11 MW
Consented
across approved schemes
0
Appeals
no appeals recorded

How Preston compares

Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Preston sits in the 77th percentile for approval rate (7 points above the England average) and the 74th percentile for speed.

Decisions by year

35Approved — 2 (2015)215Approved — 1 (2020)120Approved — 2 (2022)222Approved — 1 (2023)123Approved — 1 (2024)124Approved — 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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (10)

SchemeMWStatusDecided
Preston College, St Vincents Road - Solar Panels
Sharenergy · 06/2025/0685 · 1.3 mo to decide
0.47Awaiting Construction2025-07-31
Preston North End Football Stadium, Sir Tom Finney Way - Solar Panels
Saber Renewable Energy Limited · 06/2025/0257 · 1.6 mo to decide
0.34Awaiting Construction2025-04-17
Global Ardour Recycling Limited - Solar Panels
SNRG · 06/2025/0073 · 1.8 mo to decide
1.3Awaiting Construction2025-03-18
Vantage Toyota, Admiral Way - Solar Panels
Private Developer · 06/2024/1058 · 1.3 mo to decide
0.14Awaiting Construction2024-11-19
Park Head Farm, Carron Lane - Solar Panels
Carron Lodge Limited · 06/2022/0870 · 1.8 mo to decide
0.36Awaiting Construction2023-01-05
Inchcape Jaguar Land Rover, Bluebell Way - Solar Panels
Inchcape Land Rover Preston · 06/2022/0943 · 1.3 mo to decide
0.2Awaiting Construction2022-09-20
WM Morrison Supermarket - PV Solar Panels
WM Morrisons Supermarkets Plc · 06/2022/0345 · 1.7 mo to decide
0.51Awaiting Construction2022-05-10
Brookhouse Mill
Plumbs · 06/2020/0270 · 4.1 mo to decide
0.3Operational2020-07-21
Fell View Farm (Phase 2)
Anesco · 06/2015/0288 · 3.7 mo to decide
2.9Operational2015-08-04
Land at Fell View Farm (Phase 1)
Anesco · 06/2015/0218 · 4 mo to decide
4.2Operational2015-07-16

Does Preston approve solar farms?

Yes — of the 10 solar farms Preston has decided, 100% were approved (10 granted, 0 refused). The UK-wide rate for solar is 93%.

How long does a solar farm application take in Preston?

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 Preston consented?

11 MW has been consented across 10 approved schemes. There are no applications currently awaiting a decision.

Other technologies in Preston

Battery storage in PrestonOnshore wind in Preston

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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