‘Home-grown’ clean power: E.ON welcomes planning decision for Coventry solar farm

Plans for a solar farm on land alongside the M6 motorway in Coventry and Warwickshire have passed the latest planning stage with approval from Coventry City Council’s planning committee.

The planning committee voted 7 to 1 to approve the 25 megawatt (MW) Lentons Lane Solar Farm, between Alderman’s Green Road and Hinckley Road to the north of the city. Once built, the solar farm is expected to generate the equivalent electricity needed to fully recharge an electric bus more than 66,000 times a year¹, providing carbon savings of more than 5,000 tonnes compared to electricity from the grid².

As the proposed site crosses the boundary between Coventry City Council and Rugby Borough Council, E.ON submitted planning applications to both authorities. Rugby Borough Council is expected to make its decision on the proposals in the new year.

Following a significant public consultation exercise, earlier proposals for a solar farm at the site have been revised in line with community feedback alongside environmental assessments and technical studies. Key changes to the plans include an increased distance between the solar farm and homes on Lentons Lane, measures to reduce disruption during construction, and relocating the control cabin further away from Lentons Lane with screening from existing trees and agricultural buildings.  

The new plans feature a 15% smaller footprint than the original design, but with the same generation capacity of 25MW.

The new plans also include a commitment to dedicating areas for flower rich grasslands, supporting biodiversity in the area through the creation of new wildlife habitats, and providing support to pollinators and other native species.

Although not a planning requirement, E.ON has also set out initial plans to establish a community fund for the neighbouring area; providing subsidised energy solutions, discounted electricity bills and a bespoke fund for community projects in the neighbourhood.

Vijay Tank, Chief Operating Officer of E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions UK, said: “We’re delighted Coventry City Council’s planning committee has approved the Lentons Lane Solar Farm. This is a real chance to deliver secure ‘home-grown’ clean power and the sort of project that could ultimately help to lower energy bills for the long term. Lentons Lane is also a key part of the wider Strategic Energy Partnership between E.ON and Coventry City Council to create secure, sustainable and affordable energy, and to use projects like this to unlock economic opportunities for everyone across the city, such as lower bills and new ‘green collar’ jobs and skills.

“We’ve refined our proposals based on feedback from the community, setting the solar farm further from nearby homes, adopting measures to minimise disruption during construction, and reducing the overall size of the site whilst maintaining its energy potential.

“As the Lentons Lane site crosses council boundaries, our proposals are also being considered by Rugby Borough Council. We will await their decision before we can move forward with the development.”

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said: “This solar farm will create much needed clean green energy as set out in our climate change strategy. It also builds on our work across the city to deliver roof-mounted solar panels including on schools, the Council House, Central Library and many other council-owned buildings.

“Through our partnership with E.ON we are also investigating how to best support residents and businesses in the city install solar on their properties. And our ambition is to help people lower their energy bills, bring new jobs to the city and support the production of clean energy.

 I know E.ON has worked closely with local people and local views have been vital in helping to shape the now approved plans. This close working with residents will continue, I’m sure.”

The solar farm proposals were put forward by E.ON as part its Strategic Energy Partnership with Coventry City Council. The Strategic Energy Partnership, launched in 2023, is a pioneering 15-year collaboration in which the two organisations work together on a wide range of sustainability and economic growth initiatives for the Coventry area.

One such activity is a first-of-a-kind battery scheme where homes were given upgrades including free home storage batteries, solar panels, insulation, and energy-efficient white goods, as well as a time-of-use (ToU) tariff to incentivise energy use when there is less demand on the grid. 

Other initiatives include using thermal drones to survey thousands of homes to understand where properties lose heat and money, fitting solar panels to 80 schools to reduce their energy bills, delivering a programme of home upgrades to make homes warmer, more comfortable and with lower bills, and creating apprenticeship and other skills opportunities across the city.