Solar industry welcomes government’s plan for industry

Solar Energy UK

23 June 2025

Solar Energy UK has welcomed many measures set forward in today’s Modern Industrial Strategy.[1]

One of the most important is establishing a 13-week target for decisions on planning applications called in by ministers. As the paper states, “This is giving greater confidence to businesses that decisions on high priority developments, from solar farms and data centres to housing and transport, are being made speedily and supported by a more strategic planning policy framework.”

The responsiveness of planning departments is also set to be improved, via the recruitment of 300 new planning officers and for fees to be set locally, to cover the costs of the service.

“Planning departments have been chronically under-resourced, which has led to both delays and inconsistent decision-making, contributing to legal challenges. So bolstering the number of officers, as promised when the National Planning Policy Framework was launched late last year, is most welcome,” said Gemma Grimes, Solar Energy UK’s Director of Policy and Delivery.[2]

We also look forward to the opening of a call for evidence on the extension of permitted development rights. Although rooftop solar power is covered in England, this is not the case for listed buildings or those in conservation areas, nor smaller ground-mounted projects.

Praising “our world-leading renewable energy deployment,” the Government expects that business investment in clean energy industries will double to over £30bn per year over the next decade, “creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs at good wages across the country,” says the strategy. It also emphasises the normality and ubiquity of solar energy, while marking out domestic battery manufacturing as a key area for economic growth.

Specific measures on solar will be laid out shortly in the Solar Roadmap, including on the skills agenda. Allied to that, the Office for Clean Energy Jobs is to publish a Workforce Strategy later this year, says the strategy. We keenly await this publication and details of support for renewable energy skills across the board, including solar.

[1] The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy

[2] Solar industry welcomes English planning reforms

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Editor’s notes

For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Gareth Simkins, Senior Communications Adviser

gsimkins@solarenergyuk.org

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