Solar, wind and battery projects near East Helmsdale (KW8)
4 solar, wind or battery projects of 150 kW or more are recorded within 10 km of the centre of KW8 (Highland): none of them is pending, approved or operational. The largest scheme is West Garty Windfarm (54 MW wind farm, refused on appeal on 19 October 2018), 7.2 km away. Offshore, 1 wind farm is recorded within 40 km; the nearest is Moray West Offshore Wind Farm Project (882 MW, operational), 21.3 km away. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, July 2026 extract.
Projects within 10 km of KW8
Projects of 1 MW and more (4)
| Project | Type | MW | Status (REPD) | Submitted | Decision | Record updated | Council | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navidalewind farm | wind farm | 15 | refused on appealupdated Dec 2019 | May 2017 | refused Mar 2019 | Dec 2019 | Highland | 1.3 |
| Gartymore Wind Farmwind farm | wind farm | 10.5 | refusedupdated Jun 2003 | Oct 1995 | refused Jul 1999 | Jun 2003 | Highland | 3.2 |
| Navidale Estatewind farm | wind farm | 1 | permission expiredupdated Jul 2018 | May 2016 | granted Jul 2016 | Jul 2018 | Highland | 3.5 |
| West Garty Windfarmwind farm | wind farm | 54 | refused on appealupdated Nov 2018 | Dec 2014 | refused Oct 2018 | Nov 2018 | Highland | 7.2 |
Distance from the average position of the KW8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind farm | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
MW in pipeline: pending, approved and under-construction capacity.
Offshore wind farms within 40 km
| Wind farm | MW | Status (REPD) | km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moray West Offshore Wind Farm Project | 882 | operationalupdated May 2026 | 21.3 |
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 Highland decides solar, wind and battery applications
| Applications | Highland | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 160 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 68 (42%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 0 of 15 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 61 of 114 | 45% |
| Battery storage refused | 7 of 31 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 52.3 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 20 / 20 | — |
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. Check the council's planning register for the latest decision.