High Barns Farm, Durham

Project Details

Enviromena has developed a 49.9 MW (AC) solar farm in Hartlepool, Durham with a 25MW co-located battery storage system which is now fully consented following the grant of planning permission in May 2025.

LOCATION:	Elwick, Hartlepool, Durham
POWER CAPACITY:	49.9 MW (AC), 25MW BESS
STATUS:	Fully consented
MODULES:	TBC
NUMBER OF MODULES INSTALLED:	TBC
INVERTERS:	TBC
NUMBER OF INVERTERS INSTALLED:	TBC
CONNECTION VOLTAGE:	66kV
ENERGISATION DATE:	TBC

What was involved

The project was identified for solar development by Enviromena’s development team in early 2023 and Enviromena’s experienced land acquisition team agreed long-term lease terms with the landowner. An application for grid capacity was submitted to the DNO, Northern Powergrid.

The High Barns project will be developed on land adjacent to a recently consented bypass, which has not yet been constructed. One of the main challenges was addressing potential glint and glare effects from the solar panels on future road users. Enviromena worked with specialist consultants to carry out detailed glint and glare modelling, considering the design and position of the bypass to identify any risks.

Planning approval

Due to the proximity of the High Barns site to the newly consented A19 junction works, the planning process required additional scrutiny regarding glint and glare impacts. Enviromena submitted a detailed glint and glare assessment alongside the planning application, demonstrating how potential reflections would be managed through site layout and mitigation measures.

The assessment which was reviewed by Local Highways Authority and National Highways formed a key part of the consultation process. In addition to the highways consultation, our landscape and ecology plans for the site also underwent revision during the planning process with a focus on mitigating landscapes and visual impacts and creating skylark mitigation areas within the project site.

The project was fully supported by two local parish councils throughout and received very few local objections. This helped lead to a unanimous vote at planning committee in May 2025.

The project demonstrates Enviromena’s commitment to responsible development, incorporating site-specific constraints into the design to deliver clean energy while supporting local infrastructure planning.

Management of the site

Enviromena will own and operate the site utilising the expertise of our in-house O&M and asset management teams. This includes the team carrying out performance monitoring, security monitoring, preventative / reactive maintenance, landscape management all while ensuring safety is maintained.