Commercial solar installers in Lymington

Key facts

Where businesses are in Lymington

• Ampress Park: Business park in Lymington. In October 2022 the district council allowed units built there by Redrow, as a condition of redeveloping the former Webb's chicken factory, to be used for offices, gyms and other services as well as industry.
• Saltmarsh Park, Gosport Street: Site on Gosport Street where Gill Instruments designs, builds, tests and calibrates its sensors.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Sensor manufacturing (Gill Instruments): Gill has designed and made its wind and other sensors in Lymington since 1985, with 4,500 sq m of engineering, manufacturing and testing space, and won the King's Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2025.
• Marine leisure and boatyards: Lymington has two large marinas, the family owned Berthon and Lymington Yacht Haven, plus Harbour Commissioners' visitor berths and yards for repairs.
• Ferry link (Wightlink): Wightlink runs the vehicle and passenger ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, a crossing of about 40 minutes.

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

Lymington is served by SSEN Distribution (Southern Electric Power Distribution licence area). 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 Lymington

Lymington follows the national planning rules for England, decided by New Forest 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 Lymington Conservation Area, designated in 1977, covers about 51 hectares around the town centre and contains 192 listed buildings, so roof panels in the old town need careful siting.

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

What a business roof in Lymington could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 1,115 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 Lymington 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 New Forest

At the end of 2025, New Forest had 7,164 solar PV installations with 82.4 MW of capacity, up 84% since 2020, according to government figures. The New Forest page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Bournemouth, about 15 miles away
• Romsey, about 16 miles away
• Poole, about 19 miles away
• Salisbury, about 24 miles away

Sources

• ons.gov.uk: census2021
• ons.gov.uk: datadownload.xlsx
• advertiserandtimes.co.uk: council opposed plan to change use of lymington
• gillinstruments.com: contact
• gillinstruments.com: about us
• visitmyharbour.com: lymington marinas
• berthon.co.uk: lymington marina
• wightlink.co.uk: lymington to yarmouth
• solentfreeport.com
• gov.uk: enterprise zones
• heritagecheck.co.uk: lymington
• 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.