Onshore wind and solar – new planning system changes
This article was written for and published as original content in the East Anglian Daily Times. It was first published in the business section on 21 May 2025.
In this piece, Alex Butler-Zagni discusses how new legislation set to come into force in the UK in December 2025, will impact solar farm development. These new planning system changes promise faster planning and grid connection speeds.
The Infrastructure Planning (Onshore Wind and Solar Generating Stations) Order 2025 has raised the threshold for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) for solar and onshore wind projects from 50MW to 100MW of AC output capacity.
This secondary legislation, which will come into force in England and Wales on 31 December 2025, seeks to hand more of these planning decisions to the local planning authorities (LPAs), thereby relieving applicants of the burden of seeking Secretary of State approval by way of a Development Consent Order (DCO). Indeed, an Essex LPA has already received its first application under the transitional arrangements for a project just shy of the new 100MW threshold.
Whilst a DCO, which grants all necessary consents for a project to proceed (including planning permission and listed building consent), may have a place in the approvals process for certain major infrastructure projects, the intention is that the speed of approval will be increased significantly by shifting the decision making of new solar and onshore wind projects up to 100MW to the LPAs.
The evidence also shows that the current 50MW threshold is artificially limiting the size of the projects that are currently brought forward for determination. Against the Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan to decarbonise the UK’s energy grid by 2030, it is anticipated that encouraging larger renewables projects up to 100MW will accelerate the decarbonisation.
Sites are usually quite unique and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach that can be taken. As a result, it is vital to discuss any prospective solar farm development with your land agent, tax adviser and legal team before embarking on any negotiations.
If you would like to discuss any of the legal or practical considerations discussed in this article with Thompson Smith and Puxon, please contact Senior Associate Alex Butler-Zagni on 01206 217025 or e-mail Alex@tsplegal.com