Renewable energy developer Baywa.r.e has landed planning permission for three solar developments with a combined capacity of 96.5MW.
Dorset Council granted consent for the 30MW Woodlands solar PV power plant and the 19MW North Farm development, both located near Horton, while Hart District Council approved plans for the Fleet Solar Farm, a 47.5 MW development situated north of Long Sutton, Hampshire. All three sites are expected to begin construction in 2027 with the intention of generating their first power in 2028.
During their 40-year long consented operational period, two of the three consented sites – the 55-hectare Fleet Solar Farm and the 40 hectare Woodlands Solar Farm – will continue to serve as grazing grounds for sheep, while the 21-acre North Farm development will have wildflowers planted on site to boost biodiversity in the area.
Stuart Davidson, head of project development at BayWa r.e. UK, said that the company was “extremely pleased to have received the green light” for the projects, before thanking local stakeholders who “proactively participated” in the consultation process ahead of planning permission being sought.
BayWa.re currently has a UK development pipeline of over 600MW of onshore wind, 1.4GWp of solar, and 1.3GW of battery energy storage projects. Additionally, the firm’s energy services business manages over 1.8GW of solar, onshore wind and battery energy storage system (BESS) sites across the UK and Ireland.
In September last year, the developer secured planning permission for its first Irish solar PV power plant, the Springmount Solar Farm. The 60MWp project will be situated on 69 hectares of land around 7km west of Clonmel, and construction is set to begin in 2027.
In March 2025, the company submitted an application for a proposed 500MW BESS project in Scotland, set to be situated around 3km south-east of Douglas in the South Lanarkshire region of Scotland. If approved, the Redshaw BESS will be made up of as many as 400 BESS containers, with biodiversity enhancements including woodland planting also set to take place on the site.
Baywa.re has also been looking towards larger-scale developments, as it awaits a final decision on approval or denial of permission for its Oaklands Solar project, which is designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). A recommendation was submitted to the Secretary of State in March of this year, and a final decision on the granting of a Development Consent Order (DCO) is expected in the coming months.
