Steeple Road (25 MW solar farm)
Steeple Road is a 25 MW solar farm project in Antrim and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: approved on 24 May 2018, not yet built; the record was last updated on 2 September 2020. REPD also records that the planning permission expired on 24 May 2023, so the project may not go ahead in this form. Check the planning authority's register for the latest position.
REPD also records that the planning permission expired on 24 May 2023, so the project may not go ahead in this form.
Planning timeline
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 10 February 2016 | Application submitted |
| 15 December 2016 | Refused by the planning authority |
| 22 March 2017 | Appeal lodged |
| 24 May 2018 | Planning permission granted |
| 24 May 2018 | Appeal allowed |
| 24 May 2023 | Permission expired |
Project details
- Technology
- solar farm
- Capacity
- 25 MW
- Status (REPD)
- approved, not built
- Record last updated
- 2 September 2020
- Operator or applicant
- Elgin Energy Esco
- Planning authority
- Antrim and Newtownabbey
- Planning application reference
- LA03/2016/0135/F
- Appeal reference
- 2016/A0240
- Site area
- 44.7 ha
- Address (REPD)
- Lands extending north and south, 58 Niblock Road, Antrim
- Council area (by location)
- Antrim and Newtownabbey
- Time to decision
- 119 weeks
- REPD reference
- 6024
Who decides
| Applications | Antrim and Newtownabbey | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 40 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 8 (20%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 4 of 14 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 3 of 19 | 45% |
| Battery storage refused | 1 of 7 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 48.1 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 7 / 3 | — |
UK: all UK planning authorities. Counted under these REPD planning authority names: Antrim and Newtownabbey, South Antrim.
Other large projects within 10 km
| Project | Type | MW | Status | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millar Farm | solar farm | 6 | operational | 2.0 |
| Corby Knowe | wind farm | 5 | operational | 5.2 |
| Carncome, Lislunnan Road | battery storage | 150 | approved, not built | 5.6 |
| Elliot's Hill Wind Farm | wind farm | 5 | operational | 5.9 |
| South Antrim Solar Park - Phase 1 | solar farm | 6.5 | operational | 6.1 |
| South Antrim Solar Park - Phase 2 | solar farm | 39.5 | approved, not built | 6.1 |
| Battery Energy Storage System Development in Ballymena | battery storage | 79 | approved, not built | 6.6 |
| Battery Energy Storage System Facility in Antrim | battery storage | 50 | approved, not built | 7.2 |
| Kells Solar Farm | solar farm | 50 | application submitted | 8.0 |
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 (54.7477, -6.2096).