Solar, wind and battery projects near Castle Cary (BA7)
16 solar, wind or battery projects of 150 kW or more are recorded within 10 km of the centre of BA7 (Somerset): 1 is waiting for a planning decision, 4 approved but not yet running, 7 operational. The largest live scheme is Brains Solar Farm (18.8 MW solar farm, approved on 10 January 2022, not yet built; REPD status may be out of date), 10.0 km away. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, July 2026 extract.
Projects within 10 km of BA7
Projects of 1 MW and more (13)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manor Farm (Castle Cary)solar farm | solar farm | 1.8 | operationalupdated Jul 2017 | Aug 2014 | granted Jan 2015 | Jul 2017 | Somerset | 1.2 |
| Ditcheatsolar farm | solar farm | 3.6 | application submittedupdated Sep 2024 | Aug 2024 | — | Sep 2024 | Somerset | 3.8 |
| Lower Easton Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 13.5 | refusedupdated Nov 2014 | Jun 2014 | refused Oct 2014 | Nov 2014 | Somerset | 6.4 |
| Pylle Southern solar park (Lower Easton Farm)solar farm | solar farm | 5 | operationalupdated Mar 2016 | Oct 2014 | granted Jan 2015 | Mar 2016 | Somerset | 6.4 |
| The Royal Bath & West Showground Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 5 | abandonedupdated Jul 2016 | Mar 2011 | granted Apr 2011 | Jul 2016 | Somerset | 6.6 |
| Sheephouse Farm solar parksolar farm | solar farm | 9 | refusedupdated Sep 2013 | May 2013 | refused Aug 2013 | Sep 2013 | Somerset | 6.7 |
| Hook Valley Solar Parksolar farm | solar farm | 17 | operationalupdated Aug 2014 | Nov 2012 | granted Sep 2013 | Aug 2014 | Somerset | 7.5 |
| Higher Hatherleigh Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 3.5 | operationalupdated Jul 2013 | Mar 2012 | granted Aug 2012 | Jul 2013 | Somerset | 8.3 |
| Manor Farm (Keinton Mandeville)solar farm | solar farm | 1 | operationalupdated Mar 2013 | Mar 2011 | granted May 2011 | Mar 2013 | Somerset | 8.7 |
| Bindwell Lanesolar farm | solar farm | 13.4 | permission expiredupdated Feb 2021 | Mar 2020 | granted Jan 2021 | Feb 2021 | Somerset | 9.0 |
| Sutton Montis Road Solar Park / Sutton Bridge Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 5.4 | operationalupdated May 2015 | Apr 2013 | granted Jan 2014 | May 2015 | Somerset | 9.0 |
| Higher Hatherleigh Solar Farm extensionsolar farm | solar farm | 1.5 | operationalupdated Jul 2013 | Oct 2012 | granted Feb 2013 | Jul 2013 | Somerset | 9.2 |
| Brains Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 18.8 | approved, not built may be out of dateupdated Jan 2022 | Jul 2021 | granted Jan 2022 | Jan 2022 | Somerset | 10.0 |
Smaller schemes under 1 MW, mostly rooftop solar (3)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Green Haulage Limited, Leighton Lane Industrial Estate- Solar panelsrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.5 | approved, not builtupdated Jan 2024 | Nov 2023 | granted Dec 2023 | Jan 2024 | Somerset | 6.5 |
| Worthy Lane, Piltonrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.2 | approved, not builtupdated May 2025 | Mar 2025 | granted Apr 2025 | May 2025 | Somerset | 9.0 |
| Brains Solar Farmbattery storage | battery storage | — | approved, not built may be out of dateupdated Jan 2022 | Jul 2021 | granted Jan 2022 | Jan 2022 | Somerset | 10.0 |
Distance from the average position of the BA7 postcodes, not from your home. Projects of 5 MW and more have their own page with dates and planning history.
By type
| Type | All | Pending | Approved | Operational | Refused | MW in pipeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar farm | 13 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 22.4 |
| Rooftop solar | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 |
| Battery storage | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
MW in pipeline: pending, approved and under-construction capacity.
How Somerset decides solar, wind and battery applications
| Applications | Somerset | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 185 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 46 (25%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 34 of 153 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 9 of 10 | 45% |
| Battery storage refused | 3 of 22 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 14.0 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 17 / 9 | — |
Is the status up to date?
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. Near BA7, 2 projects have a status that may be out of date (pending for over two years, or approved with a permission expiry date already passed). Check the council's planning register for the latest decision.