Land West Of Park Road, Rivenhall, Essex, CM8 3PG

described on the application form as ‘Installation of solar farm and associated development

Authority: Braintree District Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: utilities-energy · Major offices/R&D/light industry
Inspector: Parker C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether or not the proposal would preserve the setting of nearby listed buildings
The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area
The overall planning balance

What decided it

The very substantial public benefits of renewable energy generation, together with biodiversity and economic benefits, outweighed the low level of less than substantial harm to the setting of nearby listed buildings.

the public benefits of the proposal (very substantial weight to renewable energy and climate/energy security benefits, very significant weight to biodiversity net gain, and moderate weight to economic benefits) outweighed the less than substantial harm to the setting of listed buildings

Framework references: 202, 56, 174

Plan policies cited: LPP1, LPP47, LPP52, LPP57, LPP73, SP1, LPP42, LPP67

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.