Renewable planning › Solar › Reading
Solar planning in Reading
Reading has decided 10 solar farms and approved 100% of them, taking a median of 1.8 months to decide. Consented capacity: 3 MW. 1 application still awaiting a decision.
How Reading compares
Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Reading sits in the 77th percentile for approval rate (7 points above the England average) and the 74th 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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (11)
| Scheme | MW | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
St Lukes Residential Care Home, Marshland Square - Solar Panels B&M Care Limited · PL/25/0718 · 1.6 mo to decide | 0.19 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-07-04 |
Big Yellow Self Storage Building, Rose Kiln Lane - Solar PV Panels Big Yellow Self Storage Limited · PL/24/0857 | 0.17 | Application Submitted | 2024-07-11 |
The Globe, Portman Road - Solar Panels Church of God worldwide mission. · 240130 · 1.8 mo to decide | 0.21 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-03-28 |
Starline Holdings Technology, Island Road - Solar Panels Everything is Somewhere Limited · 240097 · 1.8 mo to decide | 0.51 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-03-20 |
Voco Reading Hotel, Shooters Way - Solar Panels SNRG Limited · 240120 · 1.4 mo to decide | 0.37 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-03-13 |
Reading International Business Park - Car Port & Solar Panels Tristan Capital Partners · 231319 · 4 mo to decide | — | Awaiting Construction | 2024-01-15 |
Reading International Business Park, Relief Road - Solar Panels Tristan Capital Partners · 230336 · 1.8 mo to decide | 0.19 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-05-10 |
Arena Business Park, Acre Road- Photovoltaics Solar Panels South Yorkshire Pensions Authority · 230244 · 1.8 mo to decide | 0.32 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-04-25 |
Relief Road - Solar Photovoltaic Panels Tristan Capital Partners · 211754 · 2.6 mo to decide | 0.6 | Awaiting Construction | 2022-02-01 |
Reading International Business Park - Roof Mounted Solar Panels Tristan Capital Partners · 211733 · 1.8 mo to decide | 0.26 | Awaiting Construction | 2021-12-14 |
Portman Road Tesco (Reading West) Tesco Stores · 200146 · 3 mo to decide | 0.2 | Awaiting Construction | 2020-05-22 |
Does Reading approve solar farms?
Yes — of the 10 solar farms Reading 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 Reading?
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 Reading consented?
3 MW has been consented across 10 approved schemes. A further 1 application awaits a decision.
Other technologies in Reading
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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