®Planning appeal decision
Land at Milton Road, Gayton, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN7 3HE
the construction of a temporary Solar Farm of up to 49.72MW, to include the installation of solar panels with transformers, a substation, a DNO control room, a customer substation, GRP comms cabin, security fencing, landscaping and other associated infrastructure. Summary of Recommendation: That the appeal be allowed and planning permission granted subject to conditions. Procedural and
- Authority
- West Northamptonshire
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Robins M
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the landscape character and appearance of the area
- the effect on heritage assets
- the effect on best and most versatile agricultural land
- whether the proposal would conflict with the development plan and if so whether there are any material considerations that would outweigh that conflict; the planning balance
What decided it
The Secretary of State's finding that the benefits of the scheme were not collectively sufficient to outweigh the greater level of less-than-substantial heritage harm and major visual/landscape harm that he identified (departing from the Inspector's lower harm findings).
The significant benefits of renewable energy production and biodiversity net gain were weighed against major landscape/visual harm, less-than-substantial heritage harm (great weight) and limited harm from loss of BMV land, with the Secretary of State concluding the balance tipped against the proposal, unlike the Inspector who found the benefits outweighed the harms.
Framework references: 11, 48, 56, 100, 155, 158, 174, 180, 199, 202, 205, 208
Plan policies cited: Policy S10, Policy S10(i), Policy S11, Policy SS2, Policy EMP6, Policy NE3, Policy RC7
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.