England has introduced a formal sign‑off for larger renewable electricity projects on the public forest estate. From 27 February 2026, the Forestry Commissioners must secure written consent from the Secretary of State before using new powers to enable construction of a generating station on English forestry land, where the legal capacity thresholds are met. The measure follows the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and is signed by Defra minister Mary Creagh. (legislation.gov.uk)

The thresholds are explicit in law. Consent is required where projects would build the whole or part of a generating station on English forestry land and exceed 5 megawatts for wind or 50 megawatts for other technologies. Battery storage is disregarded when calculating whether a scheme crosses the line. Extensions to existing stations can also trigger the rule. These definitions sit in section 3B of the Forestry Act 1967 as amended by the 2025 Act. (legislation.gov.uk)

Timelines are designed to give developers and communities certainty. The Secretary of State must give or refuse consent within 60 days of being notified by the Commissioners, with a single extension of up to 30 days allowed. If no decision is issued in time, consent is deemed to have been granted. Ministers can “stop the clock” by requesting further information, with the countdown paused until it is received. Conditions may be attached to any consent. (legislation.gov.uk)

Why this matters: England is committing to scale clean power while keeping public forests working for nature, timber and people. Ministers said they want early visibility of significant projects and a safeguard on land‑use decisions, especially for schemes above the thresholds. This sits alongside a political mission for clean power by 2030, backed by new capacity milestones and grid upgrades. (hansard.parliament.uk)

Scale and context help. England’s woodland cover is about 10% of land area, with the public forest estate managed by Forestry England now over 254,000 hectares. In March 2025, just over 310,000 hectares of woodland in England were certified as sustainably managed-around a quarter of the national total. These figures underline both the potential and the responsibility that come with using the estate for energy projects. (forestresearch.gov.uk)

Land‑use trade‑offs are often overstated. Academic work led by Lancaster University estimates that UK solar farms currently occupy roughly 0.06% to 0.07% of UK land. Independent analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds that even a very large expansion of onshore wind would directly affect only around 0.02% of UK land when you count turbine foundations, with the ground between machines available for farming and habitats. (lancaster.ac.uk)

Nature safeguards remain non‑negotiable. Under England’s biodiversity net gain regime, most developments must deliver at least a 10% uplift in biodiversity value and submit a Biodiversity Gain Plan before starting works. On forestry land, that steers projects towards restoring habitats, improving connectivity and avoiding irreplaceable sites such as ancient woodland. (gov.uk)

Wildlife risk can be reduced with proven techniques. Natural England’s standing advice requires robust survey and mitigation for birds and bats on onshore wind schemes. The Bat Conservation Trust highlights operational curtailment-idling turbines at low wind speeds or at key times-as effective. A decade of studies synthesised by USGS shows raising cut‑in speeds can cut bat fatalities by roughly half with minimal energy loss, evidence developers can build into consent conditions. (gov.uk)

People use these forests intensely, so projects must fit live places. Forestry England recorded more than 313 million visits in 2024/25 and is expanding climate‑resilient habitats while creating new woodland. That means siting turbines and solar arrays away from the busiest trails and car parks, designing access tracks that serve both operations and recreation, and timing works to avoid peak visitor and breeding seasons. (forestryengland.uk)

What happens procedurally: Secretary of State consent is an extra gateway-separate from planning permission. Below 50 MW, local planning authorities decide most onshore wind and solar applications; at and above 50 MW they are classed as nationally significant infrastructure projects and need a Development Consent Order from the energy secretary. Projects on the public forest estate that cross the forestry thresholds will now also face this Defra consent step up front. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk)

Policy direction is to accelerate, not shortcut. Government’s Clean Power 2030 action plan aims for around 27–29 GW of onshore wind and 45–47 GW of solar by 2030, alongside 80 grid and enabling projects. Using suitable forestry land could help-particularly for carefully sited wind-without shrinking the estate or undermining timber supply, a point made repeatedly during passage of the 2025 Act. (gov.uk)

What to watch now: from 27 February, developers looking at forestry sites above the thresholds should engage early with the Forestry Commission, Natural England and local communities; stress‑test biodiversity net gain delivery; and design in bird and bat curtailment plans. For residents, this regime creates a predictable route to assess benefits-from habitat funding to bill‑discounted community energy-against any temporary disruption during works. Eco Current will track the first wave of applications under the new consent process. (gov.uk)