Heckington Fen Solar Park (500 MW)
Heckington Fen Solar Park is a 500 MW solar farm project in North Kesteven, England. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: approved on 24 January 2025, not yet built; the record was last updated on 10 February 2025. As a nationally significant project, it was decided by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on a Development Consent Order after examination by the Planning Inspectorate (EN010123).
Planning timeline
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 15 February 2023 | Application submitted |
| 24 January 2025 | Development consent granted (Secretary of State) |
| 24 January 2030 | Permission due to expire (unless work starts) |
Project details
- Technology
- solar farm
- Capacity
- 500 MW
- Status (REPD)
- approved, not built
- Record last updated
- 10 February 2025
- Operator or applicant
- Ecotricity Limited
- Planning authority
- The Planning Inspectorate - National Infrastructure
- Planning application reference
- EN010123
- Site area
- 586.0 ha
- Address (REPD)
- Six Hundreds Farmhouse, Six Hundreds Drove East, Heckington, Sleaford, Boston
- Council area (by location)
- North Kesteven
- Time to decision
- 101 weeks
- REPD reference
- 9806
The scheme also includes battery storage, recorded separately in REPD (approved, not built).
Official project record at the Planning Inspectorate (EN010123)
Who decides
As a nationally significant project, it was decided by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on a Development Consent Order after examination by the Planning Inspectorate (EN010123). All Energy Secretary decisions on solar and wind farms. The Planning Inspectorate - National Infrastructure refused 7% of 46 decided solar, wind and battery applications in REPD (median 73 weeks to a decision). Across all UK planning authorities 19% of 10,236 decided applications were refused.
Other large projects within 10 km
| Project | Type | MW | Status | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heckington Fens | wind farm | 54 | permission expired | 3.2 |
| Bicker Drove | battery storage | 100 | approved, not built | 4.1 |
| Bicker Fen | wind farm | 26.7 | operational | 4.4 |
| Little Hale Drove, Little Hale Fen | battery storage | 99 | approved, not built | 4.8 |
| Little Hale Fen Solar Farm | solar farm | 50 | approved, not built | 5.0 |
| Vicarage Drove Solar farm & Battery storage | solar farm | 49.9 | approved, not built | 5.2 |
| Bicker Fen Bess, Vicarage Drove | battery storage | 400 | approved, not built | 5.4 |
| Cowbridge Road, Bicker Fen | solar farm | 75 | under construction | 6.0 |
| Ewerby Thorpe Farm | solar farm | 25 | abandoned | 8.3 |
Status and dates as recorded in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract); the database is compiled from public sources and can lag behind council decisions. Location: REPD grid reference (52.9766, -0.2076).