Land Use Policy Plays a Key Role in Shaping Solar Deployment
Land use regulations determine where and how solar projects—from sprawling utility-scale farms to rooftop panels—can be developed in the UK. The National Policy Statement (NPS) EN-3, updated in 2024, emphasises that while solar is notbarred from Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land (grades 1, 2, and 3a), developers must demonstrate that poorer quality land cannot accommodate a project before using top-tier farmland. The result: large-scale solar farmsare increasingly directed toward brownfield, industrial, or contaminated sites and lower grade agricultural land.
BMV land use is not illegal, but local authorities treat it as a significant material consideration in the planning process. Projects over 20 hectares affecting BMV land must involve Natural England for consultation, reflecting the balancing act between food production, energy needs, and environmental stewardship.
Planning Permission Remains a Complex and Lengthy Process
Securing planning permission for solar development is cited as one of the greatest hurdles to sector growth in 2025. The process differs based on project size:
- Projects below 50MW must apply to the Local Planning Authority (LPA).
- Projects above this size are considered Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and must secure consent from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Recent government statements and reforms keep this threshold for significant government review unchanged, but a proposal to raise the NSIP cut-off to 150MW would increase local authorities' workload and potentially fast-track mid-sized solar deployments. However, the planning process for even modestly-sized solar farms (10–50MW) can take over two years, as local opposition, biodiversity impact, landscape aesthetics, and food security are weighed against national energy targets.
Agriculture and Food Security Are Shaping Solar Siting Debates
Fierce debate persists regarding the impact of solar farms on UK food security. Farmer and political voices stress the need to keep high-quality land for agriculture, while industry advocates highlight that even UK government ambitions to quadruple solar capacity would require just 0.5% of land—less than is currently occupied by golf courses. Recent parliamentary statements reinforce the need to prefer (but not insist on) using lower-grade land for solar but do not—and will not—ban solar farms from BMV land outright.
Many solar developments are dual-use: supporting sheep grazing or creating habitats for pollinators. New guidance stresses the cumulative impact of multiple solar schemes in the same region, ensuring landscapes and local communities aren’t overburdened.
Planning Refusal Rates and Delays Remain Elevated
Planning challenges remain formidable. As of 2025, nearly a quarter of solar farm planning applications are refused, with local authorities citing landscape impact, food production, and biodiversity as top concerns. Complex rules and the need for Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) can further add costs and delays. This has sometimes led to a patchwork of local approaches and long timelines, especially for projects on arable land.
Atlantic Renewables’ engineers work with clients to navigate these hurdles—providing expert support in site selection and planning documentation, helping projects move swiftly from blueprint to build.
In the past year, planning reforms have been introduced to:
- Confirm that only solar farms over 100MW must be referred to central government, reducing some bureaucratic burden on smaller and mid-size projects.
- Encourage solar on rooftops, car parks, and brownfield land, making rooftop solar “the default” for new buildings and large public-sector sites.
- Streamline application processes for utilising agricultural land, while insisting on high-quality land classification surveys.
Local and national policies now promote better consultation and higher standards for landscape and biodiversity. Still, confusion sometimes exists over interpreting national policy at the local level, which can stall or block urgently-needed projects.
“Overplanting” and Panel Density: A 2025 Legal Update
A recent High Court ruling confirmed that “overplanting”—installing more panels than needed for a given grid connection—is not in principle inconsistent with national policy or planning consent for sub-50MW projects, so long as overplanting’s effects are sensibly weighed in the planning balance. This legal clarity supports more flexible project design, making sites more commercially viable without running afoul of national planning guidance.
While national guidance supports rapid solar growth (70GW by 2035), local objections remain a powerful force: landscape, noise, glare, and agricultural loss are common protest themes. Planning authorities must weigh these alongside climate and energy security goals, with mandatory public consultation for large projects. Atlantic Renewables helps clients foster local support through transparent engagement and by showcasing the biodiversity and economic co-benefits of well-planned solar sites.
The Future: A Gradual Shift Towards Simpler, Greener Land Use Planning
As the UK commits to net zero and energy security, expect continued evolution in planning policy. Both government and industry now recognise that predictability and speed are critical for growth and investor confidence. A new Land Use Framework in debate may soon provide clearer national direction—but for now, knowing how to navigate complex local and agricultural issues is key to unlocking more solar projects.
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Considering a solar installation? Atlantic Renewables' planning specialists can help you work through every step of the UK’s evolving land and planning regime and maximise your project’s chances of success. Call our team today on 0161 207 4044 and take the next step towards a sustainable future!
