Renewable planning › Solar › Rochford
Solar planning in Rochford
Rochford has decided 7 solar farms and approved 100% of them, taking a median of 5.7 months to decide. Consented capacity: 143 MW. 3 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 Rochford compares
Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, Rochford sits in the 77th percentile for approval rate (7 points above the England average) and the 4th 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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (10)
| Scheme | MW | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
Rochford Hospital, Union Lane - Solar PV Panels Energy Efficient Solutions Group · 26/00085/PNSOL | 0.32 | Application Submitted | 2026-02-03 |
Clements Hall Leisure Centre, Clements Hall Way - Solar Panels Brentwood Borough Council · 24/00718/DPDP3 · 1.7 mo to decide | 0.25 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-11-29 |
Great Wheatley Road - Solar Farm Aura Power Solar UK Limited · 22/00175/FUL · 23.8 mo to decide | 30 | Under Construction | 2024-03-11 |
Canewdon Road, Canewdon - Solar Photovoltaic Farm Low Carbon UK Solar Investment Company Limited · 23/00407/FUL · 7.7 mo to decide | 49.9 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-01-11 |
Bolt Hall Farm, Lark Hill Road - Solar Photovoltaic Farm. Green Switch Capital Limited · 23/00733/FUL | 49.95 | Application Submitted | 2023-08-23 |
South Fambridge Hall - Solar farm & Battery storage British Solar Renewables / BayWa r.e. UK Limited · 21/00605/FUL · 5.8 mo to decide | 49.99 | Under Construction | 2021-12-15 |
London Southend Airport London Southend Airport Co. · 15/00190/FUL · 2.1 mo to decide | 2.5 | Operational | 2015-05-29 |
Fambridge Road/Canewdon Road UK Solar Assets (Alcor LS-SPV) · 14/00649/FUL · 5.7 mo to decide | 5 | Operational | 2015-04-02 |
Fambridge Road/Canewdon Road UK Solar Assets (Pobail LS-SPV) · 14/00649/FUL · 5.7 mo to decide | 5 | Planning Permission Expired | 2015-04-02 |
London Southend Airport London Southend Airport Ltd · 14/00779/FUL · 1.8 mo to decide | 3 | Revised | 2014-12-22 |
Does Rochford approve solar farms?
Yes — of the 7 solar farms Rochford 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 Rochford?
The median time from application to decision is 5.7 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 Rochford consented?
143 MW has been consented across 7 approved schemes. A further 3 applications awaits a decision.
Other technologies in Rochford
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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