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Allowed23 April 20243337544

Land Associated With Washdyke Farm to the North of Billingorough Rd, Folkingham, Lincolnshire, NG34 0EZ

Planning appeal 3337544 at Land Associated With Washdyke Farm to the North of Billingorough Rd, Folkingham, Lincolnshire, NG34 0EZ (South Kesteven District Council) was allowed on 23 April 2024 by Inspector Jordan A, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would lead to an unacceptable loss of best and most versatile agricultural land (BMV).

installation of a solar farm comprising ground mounted solar PV panels with a generating capacity of 27 megawatts (MW), including mounting system, inverters, underground cabling, stock proof fencing, CCTV, internal access tracks and associated infrastructure, landscaping and environmental enhancements for a temporary period of 40 years

Authority
South Kesteven District Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
Inspector
Jordan A
Postcode
NG34 0EZ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether the proposal would lead to an unacceptable loss of best and most versatile agricultural land (BMV)
  • The effects of the proposal on the setting of heritage assets, in particular the site of the Anglo Saxon Nunnery and Medieval Chapel at Stow Green which is a Scheduled Monument
  • The visual effects of the proposal, in particular the effects of the proposal on users of public right of way PRoW Thre/2/1 and the character and appearance of the area
  • The effects of the proposal on protected species, in particular its effects on breeding habitat for ground nesting birds
  • Whether the proposal would conflict with the requirements of Local Plan policy in relation to a demonstration of public support for Solar PV proposals

What decided it

The substantial weight given to the renewable energy benefit of the scheme outweighed the limited and moderate harms identified to agricultural land and rural character.

the identified harm arising from the development would, on balance, be outweighed by the benefits of the scheme, rendering the scheme sustainable when assessed against the Framework as a whole

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy SP1Policy RE1Policy DE1Policy EN1Policy EN2Policy EN3Policy EN6
Judgments
Lullington Solar Park Ltd – High Court Decision – [2004] EWHC 295 (Admin) AC-2023-LON-002550

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

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The decision letter

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More decisions in South Kesteven

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2024

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  5. Allowed13 July 20266007057
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.