Green Hill Solar Farm wins development consent for up to 500MW scheme in Northamptonshire

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero granted development consent on 8 October 2026 for Green Hill Solar Farm, an up to 500MW ground-mounted solar and battery storage scheme on land south and west of Wellingborough and north of Northampton.

The Planning Inspectorate said the scheme comprises an electricity generating station of up to 500 megawatts (MW) of ground-mounted solar arrays, together with energy storage, grid connection infrastructure and other works needed to build, operate and maintain it.

Green Hill Solar Farm Limited, the applicant, submitted its development consent order (DCO) application on 23 May 2025. The Planning Inspectorate accepted it for examination on 19 June 2025 and the Examining Authority sent its recommendation to the Secretary of State on 8 July 2026, following a six-month examination.

The Planning Inspectorate's press release said the decision was made by Baroness Curran on behalf of the Energy Secretary's legal authority. The inspectorate's project page records that the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero granted consent on 8 October 2026 and that the application is now at the post-decision stage.

The scheme

According to the developer, the project consists of nine areas of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation plus battery storage and grid connection infrastructure. In an earlier update the developer described the scheme as nine sites with solar arrays and battery energy storage systems, referred to as Green Hill A to G and Green Hill BESS.

The developer said the scheme spans the areas of West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council, and will connect to the National Grid substation at Grendon, Northamptonshire.

Published figures for the land take differ between sources. The developer's project website puts the sites at about 1,200.6 hectares, of which around 228 hectares is for environmental mitigation and enhancement. Bedford Borough Council's guidance page gives about 1,194.8 hectares, excluding the cable route search area. Lanpro, which is planning and environmental impact assessment lead consultant to Island Green Power on the scheme, describes a site of about 1,200 hectares with around 550 hectares for solar panels and associated infrastructure and around 190 hectares for environmental mitigation.

Biodiversity and access commitments

The developer has committed to a minimum 47% biodiversity net gain in habitat units. It said habitat works will deliver 14.4 hectares of green corridors and woodland planting, 50.7km of new and improved hedgerows, and more than 18km of new permissive paths.

The examination

The developer said the examination began in October 2025 and was expected to run until March 2026. During that period it submitted a second change application to the Examining Authority on 18 February 2026, following refinement of the electrical design.

The Planning Inspectorate said local people, the local authority and other interested parties were able to take part in the examination, and that the Examining Authority gave full consideration to local views and the evidence gathered before making its recommendation.

The inspectorate said this was the 114th energy application out of 182 applications it has examined to date, and that the case was completed within the statutory timescale set by the Planning Act 2008. The decision, the Examining Authority's recommendation and the evidence considered are published on the National Infrastructure Planning website.

What happens next

The developer said further detailed design plans will be developed over the coming months, alongside finalising agreements and planning requirements, before construction begins.