Issue - meetings

Placement of a ground-mounted solar farm including associated infrastructure, namely inverters, transformer, a DNO substation and grid connection.

It was reported that this application had been referred to the Planning Committee at the discretion of the Assistant Director (Planning) due to the scale and size of the proposal.

The Committee was informed that this application proposed the placement of a ground-mounted solar farm including associated infrastructure, namely inverters, transformer, a DNO substation and grid connection. The farm would have an export capacity of 17.6 Mega Watts (MW).

Members were aware that there was a recognised need and support for renewable energy technology through both National and Local planning policies and that this development would contribute towards the targets set for the UK’s greenhouse gas emission reduction and increasing the country’s energy supply from renewable sources.

The Committee was advised that the assessment of a renewable energy proposal required the impacts to be considered in the        context of the strong, in principle, policy support given the Government’s conclusion that there was a pressing need to deliver renewable energy generation. In this case, there was felt to be no adverse impact on heritage assets, ecology, residential amenity, highway safety or flood risk. There was also an opportunity to improve biodiversity.

The landscape impact was considered by Officers to be relatively local, contained mainly to the adjacent A120, Bowl Road and the Public Right of Way that crossed the site. This impact however was considered to be of moderate harm. The landscape mitigation would soften the impact but would not eliminate it. However, the localised impact on the area was not considered by Officers to be sufficient to recommend refusal especially given the lack of harm in other respects and the benefits to biodiversity and the long term benefits to the landscape when the site was decommissioned by the planting mitigation retained. Therefore, although Officers had found moderate harm to the countryside, the localised extent of harm did not outweigh the national benefits derived from providing renewable energy.

Officers felt therefore that the proposal could be considered to be in accordance with saved policies EN1 and EN4 and emerging policy PPL 3 and represented an appropriate form of development in the countryside. Therefore, the principle of the development in this location was considered acceptable.

In addition, the application was supported by saved policy EN13A and emerging policy PPL10 which advocated for new proposals for renewable energy developments in the District. The energy generated by the proposed development would contribute to supporting growth in the region, and        the carbon emissions saved as a result of generating electricity from a renewable source, would help to tackle climate change and minimise resource use.

The Committee had before it the published Officer report containing the key planning issues, relevant planning policies, planning history, any response from consultees, any written representations received and a recommendation of approval.

At the meeting, an oral presentation was made by the Council’s Planning Officer (ML) in respect of the application.

An update sheet had been circulated to the Committee prior to the meeting with details of an additional letter  ...  view the full minutes text for item 111