Renewable planning › Solar › West Lancashire
Solar planning in West Lancashire
West Lancashire has decided 13 solar farms and approved 77% of them, taking a median of 1.9 months to decide. Consented capacity: 7 MW. 2 applications still awaiting a decision.
How West Lancashire compares
Against the 298 UK authorities with 5+ solar decisions, West Lancashire sits in the 5th percentile for approval rate (16 points below the England average) and the 62nd 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 Withdrawn and still-undecided applications are excluded, so a short bar can mean a quiet year rather than a strict council.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 (18)
| Scheme | MW | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
Wrightington Hospital, Hall Lane - Solar Panels Dalkia Facilities · 2025/0954/PNR · 0.9 mo to decide | 0.15 | Awaiting Construction | 2026-01-07 |
St Francis Of Assisi Catholic Primary School - Solar Panels St Francis Of Assisi Catholic Primary School · 2025/0892/PNR · 1.2 mo to decide | 0.16 | Awaiting Construction | 2025-11-21 |
West Lancashire College, College Way -Solar Panels SNRG Limited · 2024/0764/PNR · 1.6 mo to decide | 0.22 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-10-29 |
Suttons Farm, Lord Sefton Way - Solar Pv System Wilkinson · 2024/0307/FUL · 1.8 mo to decide | 0.45 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-06-03 |
Hannah Food Services, Garnett Place - Solar Photovoltaic Panels Cactus Energy · 2024/0102/PNR · 1.4 mo to decide | 0.36 | Awaiting Construction | 2024-03-21 |
Huntapac Produce Limited, Blackgate Lane - Solar Photovoltaic System Huntapac Produce Limited · 2022/1227/FUL · 1.9 mo to decide | 1.3 | Awaiting Construction | 2023-02-10 |
Stopgate Lane, Simonswood - Solar Panels DFDS Logistics · 2022/0914/PNR · 1.7 mo to decide | 0.73 | Awaiting Construction | 2022-10-06 |
Blackgate Lane - Solar PV System Huntapac Produce Limited · 2022/0561/PNR | 0.99 | Revised | 2022-06-22 |
Sanko Gosei Solar Panels Sanko Gosei UK Limited · 20/1089/PNR · 1.6 mo to decide | 0.5 | Operational | 2021-02-04 |
Ainsdale Wastewater Treatment Works United Utilities · LCC/2018/0058 · 2.9 mo to decide | 0.3 | Operational | 2019-03-15 |
Lathom (Pilkington Technical Centre) Lightsource BP · 2018/0409/FUL · 3.4 mo to decide | 2.5 | Operational | 2018-07-31 |
Lower House Farm Mulbrick Cleans Energy · 2015/0731/FUL · 5 mo to decide | 1.9 | Application Refused | 2015-12-11 |
Ringtail Airfield Lightsource Renewable Energy · 2015/0447/FUL | 5 | Application Withdrawn | 2015-11-09 |
Back Lane Solar Farm BE Renewables · 2015/0759/FUL · 2.4 mo to decide | 5 | Appeal Withdrawn | 2015-10-09 |
Fromby Lane Solar Farm Fromby Lane Solar · 2015/0760/FUL · 2.4 mo to decide | 5 | Appeal Withdrawn | 2015-10-09 |
Fromby Lane Solar Farm Formby Lane Solar · 2015/0425/FUL | 5 | Revised | 2015-07-09 |
Wanes Blades Road Solar Farm Green Switch Solutions · 2014/0791/FUL · 3.8 mo to decide | 16 | Application Refused | 2014-11-17 |
Gerard Hall Solar Farm Hive Energy · 2014/0601/FUL · 4.2 mo to decide | 17 | Appeal Refused | 2014-10-17 |
Does West Lancashire approve solar farms?
Yes — of the 13 solar farms West Lancashire has decided, 77% were approved (10 granted, 3 refused). The UK-wide rate for solar is 93%.
How long does a solar farm application take in West Lancashire?
The median time from application to decision is 1.9 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 West Lancashire consented?
7 MW has been consented across 10 approved schemes, with 35 MW refused. A further 2 applications awaits a decision.
Other technologies in West Lancashire
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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