The UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has officially granted development consent for the Stonestreet Green Solar project in Ashford, Kent, following the Planning Inspectorate's recommendation to approve.  

The Stonestreet Green Solar project features a solar photovoltaic array and energy storage and essential infrastructure for grid connection, with a generating capacity of more than 50MW.

EPL 001, a subsidiary of Evolution Power, will develop the project at Aldington.

The company submitted the application to the Planning Inspectorate for review on 11 June 2024, and it was accepted for examination on 9 July 2024. 

The public, statutory consultees such as local authorities, stakeholders and interested parties were invited to present evidence to the examining authority. during the six-month review process.  

The Planning Inspectorate completed its review within the statutory timescale, making its recommendations to the Secretary of State on 11 August 2025.  

This project is the 99th of 166 energy applications examined up to late October 2025.

Evolution Power director Conor McNally stated: "Evolution Power welcomes the decision by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero to grant a development consent order for the Stonestreet Green Solar project, following a recommendation to approve from the Planning Inspectorate. 

"Stonestreet Green Solar will make a significant contribution towards the UK’s Clean Power 2030 targets, whilst also providing 99.9MW of co-located battery storage capacity. We look forward to progressing the project in due course."   

The examining authority is said to have considered all local perspectives and evidence into account before making its recommendation to the Secretary of State. 

With an export capacity of up to 99.9MW, the Stonestreet Green Solar project will power 42,000 homes and cut more than 34,000 tonnes of carbon annually.