Land North of Transmitting Station , Washford, Watchet, Williton, West Somerset , TA23 0JD

Installation of a ground mounted solar farm, battery storage and associated development

Authority: Somerset Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
Inspector: Parker C

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
Whether the proposal would result in the unacceptable loss of Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land (BMVAL)
The effect of the proposal on heritage assets

What decided it

The substantial public benefits arising from renewable energy generation equivalent to powering approximately 7,500 dwellings outweigh the less than substantial harm to heritage asset settings and justify the proposal in accordance with the development plan.

Framework references: 11, 56, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 208

Plan policies cited: Policy NH5: Landscape Character Protection, Policy NH8, Policy NH14: Nationally Designated Landscape Areas, Policy NH1, Policy CC1, Policy SD1

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.