BSR Plans 15-MW Solar Farm to Power Homes in Kent

• British Solar Renewables submits plans for a 15-MW solar farm near Boxley, Kent, set to power 6,595 homes and cut 5,841 t of CO₂ each year.

British Solar Renewables (BSR) has unveiled plans for a 15-megawatt solar farm that could deliver clean electricity to 6,595 households in Kent’s Maidstone district. The proposed Harp Farm Solar Park would cover about 32 hectares of pasture north of Boxley village, feeding power directly into the local distribution network and displacing an estimated 5,841 tonnes of CO₂ each year—roughly the annual exhaust of 3,000 petrol cars.

Why Kent?

Maidstone Borough Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has since approved several mid-scale renewable schemes. BSR’s project team says Harp Farm was selected for its strong solar resource, proximity to an existing 33-kV substation and minimal need for new overhead lines. The company adds that the site lies outside the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and avoids land graded as “best and most versatile” for agriculture, reducing potential conflict with food production. 

Community measures and biodiversity

Plans include a 20-metre native woodland buffer, species-rich grassland beneath the panels and new hedgerows to plug gaps in existing field boundaries. BSR has also pledged a £15,000 annual community benefit fund for parish projects ranging from playground upgrades to energy-efficiency grants for low-income households. Grazing sheep will maintain the grass, allowing the land to revert easily to full agricultural use when the 40-year consent expires. 

Planning pathway

The application has been lodged with Maidstone Borough Council and will undergo a public consultation this summer. If approved by early 2026, construction could begin next autumn, with first power flowing in late 2027. At peak build, around 60 local and regional contractors would be employed, while long-term operations and maintenance are expected to create two permanent technical positions. 

BSR’s wider footprint

Harp Farm marks BSR’s first project in Kent but continues a broader push to expand its U.K. pipeline beyond the 700 MW it has already developed and built nationwide. Earlier this year the firm secured consent for twin 21-MW parks in Suffolk and is progressing several hybrid solar-storage schemes to help balance Britain’s increasingly renewables-heavy grid. 

If realised, the Maidstone project would nudge the county—and the country—closer to the government’s target of 70 GW of installed solar capacity by 2035 while cushioning local consumers against volatile wholesale energy prices.