Much-opposed plans for huge solar development across Northamptonshire enters final stages as window for decision shared
Green Hill Solar Farm has progressed to the next stage, as the project that would see a significant portion of green space across Northamptonshire has officially entered the ‘decision’ stage with a final determination anticipated to be announced in the autumn.
The site, measuring almost 3,000 acres of predominantly agricultural land, includes approximately 1360 acres being considered for the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and its associated infrastructure. Also included in the plans are BESS in Grendon, with storage of up to 500 MW connected by 19 miles of underground cabling.
The proposal is currently being reviewed by the Secretary of State for net zero, now Miatta Fahnbulleh following her appointment on Monday (July 20), whereby a decision must be made within three months.
Island Green Power, the developer behind the project, anticipates a decision will be made on October 8.
A spokesman said: “On 8 July 2026, the examining authority’s recommendation on the application for Green Hill Solar Farm was sent to the Secretary of State for energy security and net zero.
“Our application has now progressed to ‘decision’ stage, where the Secretary of State will consider the recommendation by the examining authority and make the final decision.”
Green Hill Solar Farm was put to residents in Mears Ashby in March 2024, and while initial plans covered 2,347 acres, the size and scale of the proposal has grown significantly, adding another site in July of the same year.
The development has caught the attention of prominent local figures including South Northamptonshire MP Sarah Bool who called the proposal ‘inappropriate’, Daventry MP Stuart Andrew who said the plans in their current state run the risk of ‘sacrificing agricultural land’, and now-leader of North Northants Council, Cllr Martin Griffiths, who launched a petition against the ‘sheer scale’ of the solar development, saying ‘our community deserves a say in how we transition to renewable energy sources.’
On Tuesday (July 21), both North Northants councillors for the Earls Barton ward, Cllr Scott Brown and Cllr Vicki Jessop, wrote to the new Secretary of State for energy security and net zero.
In the letter, they asked MP Miatta Fahnbulleh to take a pragmatic look at the proposal which they believe could have a ‘devastating impact’ on thousands of people by ‘industrialising’ large areas of productive farmland.
The letter reads: "People across the Earls Barton ward, from Earls Barton through Mears Ashby, Sywell and more are genuinely worried about the impact on the countryside they love, local wildlife, food security, and what this huge development would mean for the quality of life of residents and wildlife.
“Approving this, despite the strong opposition would send a signal that this government does not listen and acts in a way which contradicts it’s Prime Ministers rhetoric. It would indicate to residents across the country that this government is ideological and not pragmatic. It would also risk turning people against the Net Zero project entirely.
“There are better, more sympathetic ways to deliver renewable energy – on brownfield sites, commercial rooftops, warehouses, covering car parks or cycle paths, all of which are demonstrated across the globe. Smaller schemes that work with the local areas rather than overwhelming them. That approach would bring communities with us, instead of setting them against the government.
“The Planning inspectorate has now sent you its recommendation. We urge you to give real weight to the concerns of people living here and refuse this application. A pragmatic decision like this would demonstrate that Net Zero can be delivered fairly and in ways that respects the places where people live.”
Should the solar farm be approved, Island Green Power would start construction in 2027, connecting to the grid in 2029.