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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIn England, the main planning route for a solar farm depends on its generating capacity and the date its application is made. For applications made on or after 31 December 2025, a project above 100 megawatts (MW) is a nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) and normally requires development consent under the Planning Act 2008, usually through a Development Consent Order (DCO). A project of 100 MW or less is generally dealt with by the local planning system under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Applications made before 31 December 2025 retain the former 50 MW threshold, so a proposal between 50 MW and 100 MW must be classified by its application date before its route can be identified.
The two planning routes at a glance
The Infrastructure Planning (Onshore Wind and Solar Generation) Order 2025 came into force on 31 December 2025. It raised the solar NSIP threshold from 50 MW to 100 MW for new applications. The legal distinction is whether capacity is above 100 MW, not whether it reaches 100 MW exactly.
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| Application circumstances | Main consent route | Principal legislation or guidance |
|---|---|---|
| 100 MW or less, application made on or after 31 December 2025 | Local planning permission, generally from the relevant local planning authority | Town and Country Planning Act 1990; environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening under the English town and country planning EIA regulations where applicable |
| Above 100 MW, application made on or after 31 December 2025 | NSIP development consent, normally a Development Consent Order | Planning Act 2008; national infrastructure planning and NSIP EIA requirements |
| Application made before 31 December 2025 and above the former 50 MW threshold | NSIP route under the rules then in force | Planning Act 2008 and the provisions applicable before the 2025 Order commenced |
| Application made before 31 December 2025 at or below the former 50 MW threshold | Local planning route under the rules then in force | Town and Country Planning Act 1990 |
The transitional rule is important. A 60 MW proposal cannot be classified solely from its size: the date on which its application was made determines whether the former or current threshold applies. The 2025 Order preserves the former 50 MW threshold for applications made before commencement.
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1. Confirm the generating capacity
Use the project’s confirmed generating capacity, rather than an informal description such as “a large solar park”. Capacity can be affected by the final design and by how associated generating equipment is defined. If the figure is still provisional, obtain a clear capacity statement from the project team before selecting a consent route.
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2. Confirm the application date
Record whether the relevant application was made before 31 December 2025 or on or after that date. This is decisive for projects in the 50–100 MW range. Do not describe the current 100 MW rule as if it applied retrospectively to an application already made under the former regime.
3. Apply the boundary precisely
For a post-commencement application, capacity of exactly 100 MW falls within the local planning category described by the 2025 Order. Only capacity above 100 MW enters the solar NSIP category under that rule.
4. Check the result against current legislation
The threshold is a changeable legal fact. Before submitting or advising on a live project, check the operative Order, its commencement provision and its transitional wording. A general GOV.UK consents page still contains older wording referring to 50 MW and below; that generic text should not be used as the current threshold for a new solar application without reading the later solar-specific Order alongside it.
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What permission is needed on the local planning route?
A solar farm within the local category is generally considered by the local planning authority under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The application must be prepared and submitted in the form required by the authority, with the plans, statements and technical information needed to validate and determine the proposal.
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What the local application normally has to explain
The exact validation list is site-specific. It may require information about the layout and height of panels and equipment, landscape and visual effects, access and traffic, drainage, ecology, heritage, noise, glint and glare, agricultural land, construction activity, decommissioning and restoration. The relevant authority’s current local list, rather than a generic national checklist, controls what it will accept as a valid submission.
Local decision-making
The authority assesses the proposal against the development plan and other material considerations, including applicable national policy. It may consult statutory bodies, neighbouring authorities, parish or town councils and local communities. The eventual permission can include conditions controlling construction, operation, mitigation, monitoring, restoration or the life of the development.
Do all local solar farms need an EIA?
No. Under the English town and country planning EIA framework, a solar farm that falls within a Schedule 2 category is screened to decide whether significant environmental effects are likely. If screening finds that EIA is required, the applicant prepares an Environmental Statement and the authority considers it as part of the planning decision. Screening is therefore not an automatic consequence of every solar farm application; it depends on the applicable regulations, the project and its likely effects.
The government source describing this local framework was last updated in 2020. It remains useful for the broad screening principle, but applicants should verify the regulations and any current procedural changes when preparing a new submission.
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What consent is needed for an NSIP solar farm?
A qualifying project is not simply a larger application for ordinary planning permission. It enters the national infrastructure planning regime created by the Planning Act 2008. The applicant seeks development consent, normally through a Development Consent Order, rather than asking a local planning committee to grant permission under the 1990 Act.
National infrastructure process
The project is developed through the Planning Inspectorate’s national infrastructure process. That process includes pre-application engagement, preparation of the application and its environmental information, examination of the submitted case and a decision under the statutory NSIP framework. The documentation and timetable are different from those used for a local planning application, so an NSIP should be planned as a separate consenting programme from the outset.
Current renewable-energy policy
National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure EN-3 (2025) came into force on 6 January 2026. It is the current EN-3 publication identified for assessing nationally significant renewable-energy infrastructure. A project team should use the version in force at the time of its application and read it with the Planning Act, the relevant EIA regulations and other applicable policy.
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Environmental information for an NSIP
NSIP environmental work follows the infrastructure-planning EIA framework. The Planning Inspectorate’s solar EIA scoping advice was first published on 20 September 2024 and its update history records an initial update on 11 August 2026 to reflect key changes introduced by the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025. Its purpose is to help scope an Environmental Statement; it is not a substitute for legislation or a complete guide to every stage of a DCO application.
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The Inspectorate expressly describes the advice as non-statutory: “This advice is non-statutory.” It should be read alongside the Planning Act 2008, government process guidance and the relevant EIA legislation. The advice also does not address Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA), so an applicant must consider HRA separately where protected European sites or qualifying features could be affected.
Environmental assessment: local project versus NSIP
| Question | Local planning project | NSIP project |
|---|---|---|
| Initial environmental decision | Schedule 2 EIA screening under the town and country planning EIA framework determines whether significant effects are likely. | Environmental work is prepared within the infrastructure-planning EIA regime and the DCO process. |
| Main environmental document when EIA is required | Environmental Statement submitted for consideration with the planning application. | Environmental information and an Environmental Statement supporting the development-consent application. |
| Scoping material | Follow the applicable regulations and the local authority’s requirements. | Planning Inspectorate solar scoping advice can inform scope, but it is non-statutory and does not cover HRA. |
Neither route removes the need to examine site-specific effects. Protected habitats, species, flood risk, landscape, heritage assets, water, transport and cumulative development can all influence the studies required. A screening opinion or scoping exercise should be obtained early enough to shape surveys and design, rather than treating environmental documents as an administrative formality at the end.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other approvals and land issues to check
Planning or development consent is the principal route question, but it may not be the only approval a scheme needs. The evidence available for this general explanation does not establish a universal checklist for every site. Associated works can introduce additional requirements, including:
- Grid-connection infrastructure, substations, cabling or route works outside the main array;
- Battery storage or other generating equipment included in, or separate from, the solar proposal;
- New or altered highways access, construction traffic arrangements and rights over access routes;
- Drainage, water, flood-risk or ordinary-watercourse permissions;
- Ecology, protected-species or habitat-related licences and assessments;
- Land ownership, option agreements, rights of way and other private legal interests; and
- Decommissioning, restoration and aftercare arrangements.
Whether any item is required depends on its location, design, ownership and the authority or regulator responsible. A DCO may encompass certain associated development, but that does not mean every off-site or separately regulated activity is automatically authorised.
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A practical route-selection workflow
- Define the scheme. Fix the generating capacity, boundaries, phases, storage, grid works and access works being proposed.
- Record the application date. Determine whether the submission is before or on/after 31 December 2025, including any transitional issue affecting an existing application.
- Classify the principal consent. Use the threshold table: the post-commencement dividing line is above 100 MW, while earlier applications retain the former 50 MW rule.
- Identify the consenting authority. A local-category project proceeds through the relevant local planning authority; an NSIP proceeds through the Planning Act 2008 development-consent regime.
- Start environmental work early. For a local project, request EIA screening where appropriate. For an NSIP, plan scoping and the wider environmental programme under the infrastructure-planning EIA rules.
- Map associated consents. Review grid, highways, drainage, ecology, heritage, storage and land-rights issues separately rather than assuming the principal permission covers them.
- Confirm local requirements. Obtain the current validation list and engage the authority or Planning Inspectorate at the appropriate pre-application stage.
Common mistakes that cause delay
Using the old 50 MW figure for every new application
The 50 MW wording remains relevant to applications made before commencement, but it is not the current threshold for a new post-31 December 2025 solar application. Always state both the capacity and the application date.
Calling an NSIP application “planning permission”
An NSIP applicant seeks development consent under the Planning Act 2008, normally through a DCO. Calling it an ordinary planning-permission application can lead to the wrong forms, timetable, consultation strategy and environmental programme.
Assuming EIA is automatic—or unnecessary
Local projects require the correct screening decision where the regulations provide for screening. An Environmental Statement is needed when EIA is required, not simply because panels occupy a large area. Conversely, a project should not omit assessment because it expects screening to be favourable.
Treating scoping guidance as law
The Planning Inspectorate’s solar advice is expressly non-statutory. It is useful for structuring an NSIP EIA, but legislation, policy and the project’s actual effects govern the legal requirements. It also does not resolve HRA.
Promising a definitive checklist without site facts
Location, environmental constraints, design and associated infrastructure can change the application package. No general article can determine a particular authority’s validation list, land rights or every consent for grid and battery works.
Who should a developer speak to?
For a local-category proposal, begin with the relevant local planning authority and its published validation and pre-application services. For a potential NSIP, engage the Planning Inspectorate’s national infrastructure process early and assemble a team able to coordinate planning, environmental assessment, land, highways, grid and consultation work. The correct route should be confirmed before substantial design and survey expenditure, especially where capacity is close to a threshold or an application straddles the transitional date.
Scope of this answer
This explanation applies to England. Planning is devolved, so Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use different planning frameworks and should not be assumed to follow these thresholds or procedures. It is a general guide, not a determination for a particular site or application. A project-specific answer requires at least the confirmed capacity, application date, location, layout, associated infrastructure and likely environmental constraints.
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