Land East of Hodgett's Lane, Berkswell , CV8 1PH

Planning appeal 3348223 at Land East of Hodgett's Lane, Berkswell , CV8 1PH (Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council) was allowed on 28 January 2025 by Inspector Harrington S, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of including land within it.

installation of a flexible electricity storage facility to supplement the local electricity grid in order to stabilise and secure electricity supply

Authority: Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: utilities-energy · Other minor developments
Inspector: Harrington S
Postcode: CV8 1PH

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of including land within it
the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the proposal

What decided it

The very substantial weight given to the proposal's contribution to net zero targets, energy security and electricity network stability, combined with the absence of suitable alternative sites outside the Green Belt, clearly outweighed the moderate harm to the Green Belt and character and appearance.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy P17Policy P10Policy P14Policy P15
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 11

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 Solihull

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

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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.