Wagtail Lane, Craghead (27 MW solar farm)
Wagtail Lane, Craghead is a 27 MW solar farm project in County Durham, England. Its status in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (July 2026 extract) is: refused on 3 December 2025; the record was last updated on 13 January 2026.
27 MWsolar farm
refusedstatus in REPD
13 January 2026record last updated
County Durhamcouncil area
Planning timeline
| Date | Stage |
|---|---|
| 7 January 2025 | Application submitted |
| 3 December 2025 | Refused by the planning authority |
Project details
- Technology
- solar farm
- Capacity
- 27 MW
- Status (REPD)
- refused
- Record last updated
- 13 January 2026
- Operator or applicant
- Ampyr Energy UK Development Limited
- Planning authority
- County Durham
- Planning application reference
- DM/24/03466/FPA
- Site area
- 57.8 ha
- Address (REPD)
- S/O Wagtail Lane, Craghead, Stanley
- Council area (by location)
- County Durham
- Time to decision
- 47 weeks
- Name in REPD
- Wagtail Lane, Craghead - Solar Panels
- REPD reference
- 17989
Who decides
| Applications | County Durham | UK |
|---|---|---|
| Decided applications (solar, wind, battery) | 89 | 10,236 |
| Refused | 22 (25%) | 19% |
| Solar refused | 7 of 51 | 12% |
| Onshore wind refused | 13 of 30 | 45% |
| Battery storage refused | 2 of 8 | 16% |
| Median time from submission to decision | 24.7 weeks | 17.0 weeks |
| Appeals lodged / allowed | 5 / 5 | — |
UK: all UK planning authorities. Counted under these REPD planning authority names: County Durham, Durham.
Other large projects within 10 km
| Project | Type | MW | Status | km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maiden, Annfield Plain | battery storage | 38 | approved, not built | 1.9 |
| Green Croft Solar Farm | solar farm | 5 | operational | 2.2 |
| Edge Lane, Maiden Law Solar Farm & Battery Storage | solar farm | 49.9 | approved, not built | 2.4 |
| Langley Moor | wind farm | 8 | operational | 3.6 |
| Hownsgill Industrial Park | solar farm | 5 | under construction | 9.0 |
| Mary Avenue, Birtley | battery storage | 71 | refused | 9.2 |
| Greenhead Energy Park | solar farm | 49.9 | application submitted | 9.9 |
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 (54.8524, -1.7027).