Highfield Energy Park (40 MW)
Highfield Energy Park is a 40 MW solar farm project in Northumberland, England. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: refused on 12 August 2025; appeal lodged on 14 January 2026; the record was last updated on 26 January 2026. The application was submitted more than two years ago and is still shown as pending; it may have been decided since. Check the planning authority's register for the latest position.
The application was submitted more than two years ago and is still shown as pending; it may have been decided since. 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.
Planning timeline
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 30 May 2023 | Application submitted |
| 12 August 2025 | Refused by the planning authority |
| 14 January 2026 | Appeal lodged |
Project details
- Technology
- solar farm
- Capacity
- 40 MW
- Status (REPD)
- appeal lodged
- Record last updated
- 26 January 2026
- Operator or applicant
- Exagen
- Planning authority
- Northumberland
- Planning application reference
- 23/01717/FUL
- Appeal reference
- APP/P2935/W/25/3376986
- Site area
- 91.0 ha
- Address (REPD)
- South West Of Whittonstall
- Council area (by location)
- Northumberland
- Time to decision
- 115 weeks
- REPD reference
- 12311
The scheme also includes 12.5 MW of battery storage, recorded separately in REPD (appeal lodged).
Who decides
| Applications | Northumberland | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 82 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 31 (38%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 3 of 36 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 25 of 34 | 45% |
| Battery storage refused | 3 of 12 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 33.3 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 4 / 10 | — |
Other large projects within 10 km
| Project | Type | MW | Status | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiln Pit Hill Windfarm | wind farm | 12 | operational | 1.5 |
| Greenhead Energy Park | solar farm | 49.9 | application submitted | 5.7 |
| Boundary Lane | wind farm | 6 | operational | 5.8 |
| Hownsgill Industrial Park | solar farm | 5 | under construction | 7.6 |
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 (54.898, -1.9022).