Solar, wind and battery projects near Colchester (CO5)
17 solar, wind or battery projects of 150 kW or more are recorded within 10 km of the centre of CO5 (Colchester): 2 are waiting for a planning decision, 4 approved but not yet running, 10 operational. The largest live scheme is Skye Green Solar Farm (15 MW solar farm, approved on 3 April 2025, not yet built), 9.3 km away. Offshore, 3 wind farms are recorded within 40 km; the nearest is Gunfleet Sands - (Demo) Extension (12 MW, operational), 28.6 km away. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, July 2026 extract.
Projects within 10 km of CO5
Projects of 1 MW and more (11)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch Airfieldsolar farm | solar farm | 5.6 | operationalupdated Jul 2015 | Jun 2014 | granted Sep 2014 | Jul 2015 | Colchester | 3.1 |
| Land Adjacent Claypits Farm (a)solar farm | solar farm | 5 | operationalupdated Aug 2016 | Mar 2015 | granted Jun 2015 | Aug 2016 | Colchester | 3.2 |
| Land Adjacent Claypits Farm (b) (Birch Estate)solar farm | solar farm | 2.3 | operationalupdated Mar 2016 | Mar 2015 | granted Jun 2015 | Mar 2016 | Colchester | 3.4 |
| Layer Farm Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 49 | operationalupdated Oct 2024 | Dec 2020 | granted Jan 2022 | Oct 2024 | Colchester | 4.0 |
| Wilkin And Sons, Factory Hill Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 6.2 | operationalupdated Mar 2024 | Dec 2022 | granted Jun 2023 | Mar 2024 | Colchester | 4.5 |
| Birch Solar Farm & Battery Storagesolar farm | solar farm | 40 | operationalupdated May 2023 | Aug 2022 | granted Mar 2023 | May 2023 | Colchester | 5.0 |
| Highfields Farm (Colchester)solar farm | solar farm | 12.2 | operationalupdated Sep 2014 | Dec 2012 | granted Sep 2013 | Sep 2014 | Colchester | 6.9 |
| Highfields Farm (Braintree)solar farm | solar farm | 2.8 | operationalupdated Sep 2014 | Dec 2012 | granted Sep 2013 | Sep 2014 | Colchester | 6.9 |
| Langenhoe Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 21.3 | operationalupdated Mar 2015 | Nov 2013 | granted Aug 2014 | Mar 2015 | Colchester | 8.1 |
| Beckingham Roadsolar farm | solar farm | 10.7 | refusedupdated Sep 2014 | May 2014 | refused Jul 2014 | Sep 2014 | Maldon | 8.7 |
| Skye Green Solar Farmsolar farm | solar farm | 15 | approved, not builtupdated Feb 2026 | Dec 2024 | granted Apr 2025 | Feb 2026 | Braintree | 9.3 |
Smaller schemes under 1 MW, mostly rooftop solar (6)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Church Road Tescorooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.2 | approved, not builtupdated Jun 2020 | Oct 2019 | granted Nov 2019 | Jun 2020 | Colchester | 4.7 |
| Birch Solar Farm & Battery Storagebattery storage | battery storage | — | operationalupdated May 2023 | Aug 2022 | granted Mar 2023 | May 2023 | Colchester | 5.0 |
| Gosbecks Roadrooftop solar | rooftop solar | 0.2 | approved, not builtupdated Jul 2025 | Apr 2025 | granted Jun 2025 | Jul 2025 | Colchester | 6.8 |
| Military Corrective Training Centre, Berechurch Hall Campsolar farm | solar farm | 0.5 | application submitted may be out of dateupdated Jun 2024 | May 2024 | — | Jun 2024 | Colchester | 7.0 |
| Sewage Pumping Station, Worlds End Lanebattery storage | battery storage | 0.2 | application submittedupdated Sep 2024 | Sep 2024 | — | Sep 2024 | Braintree | 8.0 |
| Grange Box, Grange Waybattery storage | battery storage | 0.2 | approved, not built may be out of dateupdated Nov 2022 | Sep 2022 | granted Nov 2022 | Nov 2022 | Colchester | 9.8 |
Distance from the average position of the CO5 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 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 15.5 |
| Rooftop solar | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 |
| Battery storage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.4 |
MW in pipeline: pending, approved and under-construction capacity.
Offshore wind farms within 40 km
| Wind farm | MW | Status (REPD) | km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunfleet Sands - (Demo) Extension | 12 | operationalupdated Nov 2017 | 28.6 |
| Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Scheme | 108 | operationalupdated May 2018 | 29.1 |
| Gunfleet Sands II | 64.8 | operationalupdated Nov 2017 | 31.0 |
Operational, approved and pending offshore wind farms; distance from the district centre to the REPD grid reference of each wind farm (one point per site, so the nearest turbines can be closer or further). All offshore wind farms in UK waters.
How Colchester decides solar, wind and battery applications
| Applications | Colchester | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 24 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 2 (8%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 1 of 19 | 12% |
| Battery storage refused | 1 of 5 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 13.3 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 2 / 1 | — |
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 CO5, 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.