The Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park has been granted development consent by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, according to the Planning Inspectorate UK.

The decision clears the way for a solar photovoltaic array generating station, a battery energy storage system, and grid connection infrastructure, with a maximum generation capacity of 800 MW.

What the Project Comprises

The development consent order application covers a solar photovoltaic array generating station paired with a battery energy storage system and the infrastructure required to connect the scheme to the grid. The maximum generation capacity of the project is set at 800 MW. The scheme is promoted under the name Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park.

The application was brought forward by Elements Green Trent Limited. Under the process set out in the Planning Act 2008, projects of this scale are examined by the Planning Inspectorate, which makes a recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State, who then takes the final decision.

Timeline From Submission to Decision

Elements Green Trent Limited submitted the application to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration on 27 June 2025. The Inspectorate accepted the application for examination on 22 July 2025. Examination of the proposals then ran for six months, a period during which local people, the local authority, and other interested parties were able to participate.

Following that examination, the Examining Authority made its recommendations to the Secretary of State on 28 July 2026. The decision to grant development consent was announced.

The Examination Process

During the examination, the public, statutory consultees, and interested parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority. The Planning Inspectorate said local communities continue to be given the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them.

According to the Inspectorate, the Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to all local views and to the evidence gathered during the examination before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The Planning Inspectorate stated that the examination was completed within the statutory timescale laid down in the Planning Act 2008. The Great North Road scheme is described as the 117th energy application out of 185 applications examined to date, and the Inspectorate noted that it was again completed within that statutory timescale.

Who Made the Decision

The decision was made by Baroness Curran on behalf of the Energy Secretary's legal authority. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is the body that granted the development consent.

Public Access to Decision Documents

The decision itself, the recommendation made by the Examining Authority to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the evidence considered by the Examining Authority in reaching its recommendation are publicly available.

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