Economic Benefits Statement of a Solar Farm in Rugby
Hardisty Jones were commissioned by Enviromena to deliver an economic benefits statement in support of a planning application for the proposed development of Lutterworth Solar Farm in Rugby.
Client
Enviromena
Services
The proposed Lutterworth Solar Farm, in Rugby, west of Magna Park business estate, the A5, Lutterworth and the M1, and will have a generating capacity of up to 16 MW of electricity per year for a 40-year lifetime. Hardisty Jones prepared an economic benefits statement for the scheme to demonstrate the positive socio-economic impacts the proposed development would generate for the local economy and the UK.
Alignment to national and local policy
The UK Government has a legal commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Additionally, the Clean Energy sector is recognised as one of the eight growth driving sectors set out in the Industrial Strategy. National and local policies set out objectives on increasing renewable energy capacity and also recognise that such schemes (including solar) can support new, good quality jobs, provide greater energy security, and promote sustainable economic growth.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sets out the ambition to deliver up to 47 GW of solar energy capacity in the UK by 2030. Currently the UK is delivering almost half of this target. The Economic Benefits Statement demonstrated how the proposed development aligns to the policy objectives and contributes to the solar energy capacity target.
Assessing the Economic Benefits
Our work assessed the gross direct and net additional employment, wages, and GVA that would be generated in the UK and in Rugby by the Lutterworth solar farm over its 40-year lifetime.
We also demonstrated the wider economic benefits associated with the scheme. This includes economic contributions from the developer, such as rental payments to the landowner and business rates to the local Council. We also set out other economic benefits including opportunities for farm diversification, and opportunities to increase local expertise and skills in the renewable energy sector.
How the Economic Benefits Statement supported the planning application
It is widely known that the economic impacts of solar farms are known to be limited at operational phase. Our work showed that whilst this is true, there are strong economic benefits during the construction phase, on site and in the supply chain. The Economic Benefits Statement demonstrated the positive socio-economic impacts the Lutterworth Solar Farm would deliver and highlighted the strategic fit of the project to national and local policy. Lutterworth Solar Farm was approved in April 2026.
If you would like to talk to us about how we can support your efforts to make the case for and assess the economic impacts for a renewable energy development, please get in touch.
