Solar car parks and electric vehicle charging – call for evidence
18 June 2025
Photograph: Clare Jackson / Alamy
The government is seeking to make it mandatory for new outdoor car parks to install solar canopies, subject to certain exemptions. In its response, the NFU has made the case that farming businesses should be encouraged, but not mandated, to install them.
18 June 2025
Consultation closes
This consultation has now closed.
18 June 2025
NFU submits final response
In its response the NFU has made the case that:
- Farm businesses (and other rural SMEs) should be encouraged, but not mandated, to install solar canopies over vehicle and machinery parking areas.
- Solar canopies over vehicle parking areas could find profitable application on farms.
- Electricity generated this way would be best used on-site or for electric vehicle charging.
- This presents further opportunities for diversification income such as at farm shops or rural EV charging hubs.
Responding to a previous government consultation in April 2023, the NFU welcomed proposals for a new Permitted Development Right (Class OA) for solar canopies used for off-street non-domestic vehicle parking, since this could also apply to canopies over agricultural machinery parking in farmyards.
This was subsequently introduced in December 2023, although it applies to England only.
NFU members can log in and download our final response.
2 June 2025
NFU seeks feedback on its response
91²Ö¿âhas drafted a brief response to this call for evidence which closes on 18 June 2025. Ìý
Download and read our response (gated for NFU members only).
Contact [email protected] if you would like to contribute to our response.
Have you installed solar canopies on your farm?
We are particularly interested in hearing from NFU members who may have already installed solar canopies.
Contact [email protected] if this applies to you.
Ìý
7 May 2025
Government opens call for evidence
The Government is consulting on a proposal to mandate the installation of solar PV (photovoltaic) canopies on new outdoor car parks (public or private) and potentially on existing car parks, as well as views around current planning policy relating to EV (electric vehicle) charging infrastructure. Ìý
Proposed rules would be subject to size limits and other exemptions.
Solar car park canopies are already Permitted Development (which the NFU previously supported, eg, for farmyards), but we would not want them made obligatory over all vehicle and machinery parking areas on farms. Ìý
Solar carports over a certain size are already mandatory in some European countries such as France and Slovenia.
Read about the consultation in full at: .
This page was first published on 02 June 2025. It was updated on 18 June 2025.
Ask us a question about this page
Once you have submitted your query someone from NFU CallFirst will contact you. If needed, your query will then be passed to the appropriate NFU policy team.