Renewable energy projects in Epping Forest
11 solar, wind or battery projects of 150 kW or more are located in Epping Forest (REPD, July 2026 extract): 0 pending, 8 approved but not running, 1 operational and 2 refused. The council refused 3 of 10 decided applications (30%; UK 19%), with a median 28 weeks from submission to decision.
11projects in the council area
0awaiting a decision
8approved, not running
30%of decisions refused
How Epping Forest decides
| Applications | Epping Forest | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 10 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 3 (30%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 3 of 9 | 12% |
| Battery storage refused | 0 of 1 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 27.6 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 0 / 1 | — |
Projects in Epping Forest
Projects of 1 MW and more (7)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East End Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 49.9 | approved, not builtupdated Feb 2026 | Aug 2022 | granted May 2024 | Feb 2026 |
| Upland Road - 49.9 Megawatt Solar Panelssolar farm | solar farm | 49.9 | refusedupdated Jul 2026 | Jul 2025 | refused Jun 2026 | Jul 2026 |
| Thrift Solar Farm and BESSsolar farm | solar farm | 30 | approved, not builtupdated Jan 2026 | Jun 2025 | granted Dec 2025 | Jan 2026 |
| Thrift Solar Farm and BESSbattery storage | battery storage | 30 | approved, not builtupdated Jan 2026 | Jun 2025 | granted Dec 2025 | Jan 2026 |
| Solar Farm at Nickerlandssolar farm | solar farm | 25 | approved, not builtupdated Feb 2026 | Aug 2024 | granted Feb 2025 | Feb 2026 |
| West Essex Golf Club, Bury Road Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 10.7 | refused on appealupdated Dec 2025 | Nov 2023 | refused Nov 2025 | Dec 2025 |
| Waltham Point Distribution Centrerooftop solar | rooftop solar | 1.8 | operationalupdated May 2016 | — | — | May 2016 |
Smaller schemes under 1 MW, mostly rooftop solar (4)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilwell Park, Bury Roadsolar farm | solar farm | 0.6 | approved, not builtupdated Jun 2024 | Apr 2023 | granted May 2024 | Jun 2024 |
| Rolls Farm Barns, Hastingwood Roadrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.5 | approved, not builtupdated Mar 2023 | Oct 2022 | granted Jan 2023 | Mar 2023 |
| Aerzen House, Langston Roadrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.1 | approved, not builtupdated Feb 2025 | Nov 2024 | granted Jan 2025 | Feb 2025 |
| The Scout Association, Gilwell Parkrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.1 | approved, not builtupdated Jan 2026 | Oct 2025 | granted Nov 2025 | Jan 2026 |
Postcode districts in Epping Forest
| District | Projects within 10 km | Pending | Approved | Operational |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM5 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| CM16 | 27 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| EN9 | 37 | 3 | 26 | 1 |
| IG7 | 41 | 3 | 32 | 3 |
| IG9 | 44 | 7 | 31 | 3 |
| IG10 | 40 | 5 | 28 | 3 |
| RM4 | 20 | 2 | 14 | 1 |
32% of applications still shown as pending in REPD were submitted more than two years ago, and only 37% of pending records were updated in the last 12 months, so some of them may already have been decided. Projects belong to Epping Forest by location (nearest postcode to the REPD grid reference); decisions are counted by the planning authority named in REPD.