20
LOW CARBON
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
in association with
CUTTING RED TAPE FOR A GREEN FUTURE
Crow Wood, the multi-award-winning hotel and spa resort in Burnley, is striding towards a greener future with the creation of a solar farm on its grounds.
OPEN FOR ENTRIES
NOW
ENTER NOW 5 December 2025
Deadline:
redroseawards.co.uk @redroseawards #RRA26
The 1MW farm, with its 2,200-plus solar panels generates enough clean energy to power around 350 homes annually. It is all about on- site self-sufficient, renewable energy delivering commercially for the venue – the kind of investment the government needs to help meet its net zero targets.
Oliver Brown, managing director at Crow Wood, says: “With rising energy use from facility investments and market conditions, this was a strong long-term investment and a good Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that resonates.”
The government has vowed to cut red tape and to make changes to the planning system to make it easier for projects like this to get off the drawing board. The aim is to drive growth and promote the nation’s low carbon transition.
Oliver says the Crow Wood solar project, which went live last year, wasn’t without its challenges during the planning process.
He says the initial feedback from the council’s planning department was that it could not support the scheme – despite a smaller solar operation already generating electricity on site.
Officers also said that no community benefits had been presented in the planning application. Added to all that a neighbouring local authority also raised objections.
It needed the input of expert consultants hired by the business to argue the case for the project and to stress that it was in keeping with national government policy.
Oliver says: “Once our consultants argued the misinterpretation of the National Planning Policy Framework, the planning department changed its view and recommended it for approval, yet it still was not unanimously approved when it went before the planning committee.”
He adds: “The government message is we should all be doing more in terms of sustainability and clean energy, but when you get into it, it isn’t that straightforward.
“We were trying to put together a million pound deal with another Burnley business which seemed to tick all the boxes. It was extremely frustrating.”
There is no doubt the government is in the
power (CHP) can significantly reduce exposure to grid prices while delivering measurable carbon savings. However, while the technology is proven, the journey, as Oliver Brown has indicated, is sometimes less straightforward.
In England, onshore wind developments have been effectively hamstrung since 2015, when changes to planning policy made it harder to gain approval.
Grid connection queues mean that some projects are stalled, waiting to connect to the network even when the infrastructure exists nearby.
And permitting processes for large ground- mounted solar installations vary between local
With rising energy use from facility investments
and market conditions, this was a strong long- term investment and a good Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that resonates
mood for change. Those in the industry calling for more reforms say planning rules, grid connection delay and inconsistent local authority approaches are all acting as brakes on momentum.
They add that self-generation – producing electricity or heat at the point of use rather than relying solely on the national grid – is moving from an environmental “nice-to-have” to a commercial necessity.
Businesses are taking a serious look at generating power on-site. Solar PV installations, small-scale wind, and combined heat and
authorities, leading to unpredictable timelines and costs.
Blackpool headquartered energy efficiency specialist Trident believes the solution to all this lies in “joined-up thinking” between policymakers, regulators, and the private sector.
Managing director Michael Dugdale says: “We need a system that prioritises generation projects, creates easy pathways for rooftop solar, and reopens the door for onshore wind. Without this, the UK risks missing both its net zero milestones and the opportunity for genuine energy resilience.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
