Lower Barn Farm , Whalley Road, Sabden, LANCASHIRE, BB7 9DT

field mounted 20Kwp field mounted solar PV array

Authority: Ribble Valley Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: utilities-energy · Other minor developments
Inspector: Francis M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area and the Forest of Bowland National Landscape
The effect of the proposal on a public right of way
The effect of the proposal on biodiversity

What decided it

The moderate harm to the character and appearance of the area and the landscape setting of the National Landscape, combined with the unresolved public right of way conflict and lack of biodiversity enhancement, outweighed the renewable energy benefits of the proposal.

Framework references: 182, 104

Plan policies cited: Policy EN2, Policy DMG1, Policy EN3, Policy DME5, Policy EN4, Policy DME3

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.

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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.

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