Sheep grazing at a solar farm. Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0Elements Green has been granted development consent for the Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park, a solar, battery storage and biodiversity project north-west of Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire.
The Secretary of State granted consent on 27 October 2026. The Development Consent Order application was submitted on 27 June 2025, accepted on 22 July 2025 and examined from November 2025 to 28 April 2026.
The project will export up to 800MW to the grid through the existing Staythorpe 400kV substation, with modelled generation of about 1.1TWh a year, enough for roughly 400,000 homes. It includes 440MW / 880MWh of battery storage. Construction is expected to start in 2027 and take about 24 months, with first electricity export modelled for 2028. Its operational life is about 40 years, followed by decommissioning and restoration.
Outside the solar panel areas, 323 hectares (about 800 acres) are dedicated to biodiversity. Commitments include 64,500 trees, about 31 hectares of new woodland and more than 50km of new hedgerow, giving Biodiversity Net Gain of 41.7% in habitat units, 26.5% in hedgerow units and 11.05% in watercourse units. A further 144 hectares of arable land will be kept in farming with conservation management for birds, the project avoids the highest-quality agricultural land, and sheep grazing is proposed beneath and around the arrays.
Public access plans include 22 new permissive footpaths, six new permissive bridleways and a 50.6km circular recreational route around the site, including 12.5km of new permissive path.
Around 180 full-time equivalent jobs are expected during construction, associated with about £10.4 million GVA, and 48 during operation. The NG+ community benefit programme is planned to provide around £1 million a year; more than £150,000 has already been distributed, and more than 430 EG Academy courses have been completed. Elements Green won Campaign of the Year at The Energy Awards 2026 for its consultation and engagement work on the project.
Rasmus Friis, CEO of Elements Green, said consent was “one of the most significant milestones” for the company, adding: “Our focus is now on turning this consent into responsible delivery.”
John Hetherton, UK Managing Director, said: “Consultation has played an important role in shaping GNR. For us, biodiversity and landscape measures need to deliver benefits that people can see and understand.”
Source: Elements Green press release, 27 October 2026 (original). Photo: N Chadwick, Sheep grazing on Solar Farm, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.
