Aura Power Wins Approval for 50-MW Solar Farm in Staffordshire

• Aura Power clinches final consent for 49.9-MW Moreton Brook Solar Farm in East Staffordshire, pledging 100% biodiversity gain, £20k annual community fund and 2027 start-up.

Aura Power has secured final planning permission for its 49.9-MW Moreton Brook Solar Farm in East Staffordshire, after East Staffordshire Borough Council formally sealed a Section 106 agreement on 30 July. The council had resolved to approve the project in March, but the legal agreement was the last hurdle before consent could be issued.

Designed as a merchant-scale plant, Moreton Brook will generate enough clean electricity to meet the annual demand of about 11,500 UK homes and displace roughly 12,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year—equivalent to taking more than 5,000 cars off the road.

Beyond cutting carbon, the project promises a biodiversity net gain of more than 100%. Aura Power plans to sow species-rich grassland and wildflower meadows, install nesting plots and bird towers, and reinforce native hedgerows and tree lines for screening and habitat creation. Local residents will also benefit from a £20,000 community fund paid annually for the solar farm’s 40-year lifetime, supporting grassroots initiatives in the surrounding villages.

Construction is slated for early spring 2027, with grid connection targeted for September 2027. Once built, Moreton Brook will join Aura Power’s nearly 600 MWp ready-to-build portfolio, which already includes the Kemble, Burtree Lane and Grimsby solar farms now under construction. 

The approval aligns with the UK government’s goal of tripling solar capacity by 2030, a target that requires both rooftop arrays and well-screened ground-mount projects like Moreton Brook. By combining utility-scale output with strong ecological credentials, Aura Power argues it is showing how renewable energy development can support local nature recovery while bolstering national energy security.