®Planning appeal decision
Land Off Golf Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester, M33 2JT, M33 2JT
a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) including ancillary works and access arrangements
- Authority
- Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- utilities-energy · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- McGlone A
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of including the land in the Green Belt
- The effect of the proposal on the Mersey Valley landscape
- Whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness and any other harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development
What decided it
The secured grid connection and absence of any suitable alternative site outside the Green Belt near the required South Manchester substation meant the other considerations clearly outweighed the identified Green Belt and landscape harm, establishing very special circumstances.
The substantial Green Belt harm and moderate landscape and residential amenity harm were clearly outweighed by the very substantial weight given to the proposal's deliverability and secured grid connection, together with moderate biodiversity net gain benefits and modest economic benefits, so that very special circumstances existed and the appeal was allowed.
Framework references: 142, 143, 153, 180
Plan policies cited: Policy R4, CS Policy R4.2, Policy JP-G10, CS Policy L7.1, CS Policy R2, PfE Policy JP-G1, CS Policy L7.3, CS Policy L7, PfE Policy JP-P1, PfE Policy JP-G9
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.