The UK government has granted development consent for the Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park, an 800 MW solar and battery storage project near Newark in Nottinghamshire, making it one of the largest solar projects approved in the country to date. The decision was announced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) on October 27, 2026.
The project
The scheme is being developed by Elements Green. It has a maximum generating capacity of 800 MW and includes a battery energy storage system. According to the Newark Advertiser, around 1.5 million solar panels will form a ring roughly 6.2 miles (10 km) from north to south around the villages of Bathley, Caunton and Norwell.
The site covers about 1,765 hectares, of which around 1,025 hectares are allocated to solar. Elements Green says the plant could supply around 400,000 homes. It is designed to operate for about 40 years, after which the equipment would be removed and the land restored. The plans include 64,500 new trees and more than 50 km of species-rich hedgerow.
The project will connect to the grid at the Staythorpe substation, where network capacity was freed up by the closure of fossil-fuelled power stations, reNEWS reports.
The decision
The final decision was taken by Baroness Curran on behalf of the Energy Secretary, following a six-month examination by the Planning Inspectorate. The application was submitted in June 2025, and the Examining Authority sent its recommendation to the government in July 2026. The Examining Authority concluded that "the benefits of the proposed development would not be outweighed by the identified harm" in areas including landscape, agricultural land, traffic and cultural heritage.
On the same day, DESNZ also granted consent for Cubico's 150 MW Frodsham solar farm in Cheshire.
"Solar power is the cheapest generation we can build," said UK energy minister Michael Shanks, adding that it is "crucial to delivering energy security and tackling affordability for families and businesses."
Local opposition
The scheme has faced strong local opposition. Newark MP Robert Jenrick criticised the change to the rural landscape, and county councillor Bruce Laughton compared the scale of the plans to building a town in the countryside. The district council's local impact report pointed to landscape harm and the loss of high-quality farmland. Elements Green has proposed a GBP 1 million annual community fund, although councillors were told it cannot be enforced through the planning decision.
Construction has no confirmed start date. The developer's earlier timetable said work would begin no earlier than 2027.
What it means for European developers
The approval shows that the UK government is prepared to back very large solar parks despite local resistance, as it pushes to expand homegrown clean power. Reusing grid capacity left by closing fossil plants is a key advantage for such projects. For developers across Europe, the case also shows the growing importance of biodiversity plans, community benefits and early engagement in getting gigawatt-scale solar through planning.
Source: reNEWS, Newark Advertiser and West Bridgford Wire, based on the UK government's decision.
