Commercial solar installers in Andover

Key facts

Where businesses are in Andover

• Walworth Business Park: Council-owned business park in Andover where, with Portway, the borough's manufacturing firms are concentrated. The council also runs the Walworth Enterprise Centre there, letting business units and offices on short-term licences.
• Portway Business Park: Council-owned business park in Andover and one of its two main manufacturing locations. Stannah's registered offices and its new lifts and major projects divisions are at Watt Close, East Portway.
• Andover Business Park: Business park about two miles from Andover town centre with direct access to the A303. Stannah completed a 90,000 sq ft factory there and in late 2023 submitted plans for a second 136,100 sq ft unit with solar panels; the Co-op opened a 468,000 sq ft regional distribution centre on the park in 2011.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Defence (British Army headquarters): Andover is home to the British Army's headquarters at Marlborough Lines, which employs more than 2,000 personnel.
• Manufacturing (Stannah): Stairlift and lift maker Stannah has been based in Andover since 1974 and describes Andover Business Park as its main UK manufacturing site.
• Distribution (Co-op): The Co-op's regional distribution centre at Andover Business Park was reported in 2011 as handling 1.3 million cases a week for more than 400 stores across southern England.

Large, simple roofs on distribution sheds and modern industrial units are usually the quickest and cheapest to fit. Older mill, factory and workshop buildings can work well too, but often need a structural survey first, and roofs from before 2000 may contain asbestos cement: see asbestos roofs.

Grid connection

Andover is served by SSEN Distribution (Southern Electric Power Distribution). Almost every commercial system needs G99 approval from the network operator before it is switched on, and the question is usually how much the local network can take back. Where export is limited, a G100 export limitation scheme can let a larger array connect. See G99 and DNO applications.

Planning in Andover

Andover follows the national planning rules for England, decided by Test Valley council. Rooftop solar on most non-domestic buildings is permitted development, within height and edge limits, and systems above 50 kW need a prior approval application covering design and glare.

Points that come up locally:

• The Andover Conservation Area, first designated in 1969 and extended in 1984, covers the High Street and nearby routes including London Street, Bridge Street and Marlborough Street, plus St Mary's Church and the Georgian buildings of Newbury Street and Church Close. The council reviewed its boundary and appraisal in 2021.

Our guides on listed buildings and conservation areas explain what these mean for a solar project.

What a business roof in Andover could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 1,035 kWh per kWp a year.

Illustrative, not a quote: the same sums as our commercial solar calculator. A company paying corporation tax can usually shorten the payback with capital allowances.

Funding and support

We found no council or regional grant for business solar open in Andover at the time of writing (November 2026). National reliefs still apply, such as capital allowances and, in England, the business rates exemption for onsite renewables: see grants and reliefs in England.

Solar across Test Valley

At the end of 2025, Test Valley had 4,614 solar PV installations with 252.7 MW of capacity, up 38% since 2020, according to government figures. The Test Valley page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Newbury, about 15 miles away
• Romsey, about 15 miles away
• Salisbury, about 17 miles away
• Basingstoke, about 17 miles away

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org: List of ONS built up areas in England
• testvalley.gov.uk: great place business
• stannahlifts.co.uk: contact
• thiis.co.uk
• logisticsmanager.com: 16339 co op set to open andover distribution
• testvalley.gov.uk: have your say on andover conservation area
• mcrproperty.com: walworth business park
• bdcmagazine.com: goodman further develops andover business park as key
• Yield: PVGIS 5.3 (European Commission Joint Research Centre), SARAH3 data, 14% system losses, for the town centre, modelled 4 November 2026.
• Council area figures: DESNZ, renewable electricity by local authority 2014 to 2025.