Welcome to our website for Castle Hills Solar Farm.

TotalEnergies has submitted a planning application for a new renewable solar energy project on land to the south of Birmingham Airport. If approved, Castle Hills Solar Farm would have the capacity to produce and export 49.9MW of solar energy, supported by a 5MW Battery Energy Storage System facility – equivalent to powering around 14,000 homes in the West Midlands.

If approved, Castle Hills Solar Farm will:

  • Contribute to Net Zero Targets: Helping the UK reach its 2050 Net Zero Emissions Goal and support local 2041 climate targets, by producing clean, renewable energy.
  • Power the community with clean energy: Generating affordable, reliable renewable power for the National Grid, equivalent to the annual needs of 14,000 homes in the West Midlands and improving local energy resilience with on-site Battery Energy Storage Systems.
  • Support local sustainability: Contribute to regional decarbonisation by generating clean energy locally. We have opened up dialogue with Birmingham Airport to explore how the proposals could benefit its sustainable and responsible approach to growth, where they could become a customer of the renewable energy created at the site. If approved, the proposals would make a meaningful contribution to the region’s net zero and clean energy goals
  • Enhance Biodiversity: Delivering a significant 67.25% net gain in habitat units and a 17.4% net gain in hedgerow units through strategic planting and landscaping.  
  • Invest in the community: Creating local employment opportunities during construction and operation, and establishing a Community Benefit Fund providing £40,000 annually (indexed to inflation) to support local projects aligned with key social and environmental priorities – such as education, youth inclusion, road safety, cultural heritage, and climate and environmental improvements -throughout the project’s 40-year lifetime.

Planning Update

Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation or attended our Public Exhibition Event.
 
TotalEnergies has now submitted a planning application for Castle Hills Solar Farm to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
 
The application is available to view on the Council’s planning portal under reference PL/2025/01404/PPFL.

How the proposals have changed

Since the original application was submitted in July 2025, TotalEnergies has worked closely with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, statutory consultees and the local community to refine the proposals.

The updated scheme includes a number of important changes:

  1. Greater separation from Bickenhill Meadows SSSI: Solar panels have been removed from land closest to the Bickenhill Meadows Site of Special Scientific Interest, helping to respond positively to environmental considerations and protect sensitive habitats.
  2. A reduced red line boundary: Six parcels of land have been removed from the application boundary, reducing the overall extent of the site.
  3. Dedicated biodiversity enhancement land: One parcel of land (Parcel 2) has been retained solely for biodiversity enhancement, with no solar panels proposed in this area. This land would support new species-rich grassland and long-term habitat management.
  4. Updated access arrangements: The proposed access route to the eastern parcel has been changed from St Peter’s Lane to an existing access at Church Lane, following feedback received during consultation.
  5. Reduced localised visual impact: The substation within the eastern parcel has been repositioned to the south of the Battery Energy Storage System infrastructure to help reduce potential visual impact on nearby views.
  6. Renewable energy capacity retained: While panels were removed from seven parcels in total to protect sensitive habitats, we have relocated infrastructure within the remaining site to maintain the proposed 49.9MW generating capacity, ensuring the scheme can continue to make a meaningful contribution to local and national clean energy targets.

Timeline

About TotalEnergies in the UK

TotalEnergies has been present in the UK for more than 60 years, employing more than 1,800 people across the energy value chain. We are diversifying our energy offering to provide decarbonised and renewable energies to our customers, while ensuring local energy resiliency. Our team of more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, more sustainable, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in nearly 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.