®Planning appeal decision
Land South of Wood Lodge Farm, Thrapston, NN14 4NJ
the installation of a solar farm comprising ground mounted solar PV panels with a generating capacity of up to 49.99MW, including mounting system, inverters, underground cabling, stock proof fence, CCTV, internal tracks and associated infrastructure, landscaping, biodiversity net gain and environmental enhancements, for a temporary period of 50 years
- Authority
- North Northamptonshire
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Major P
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed development would be likely to have a significant effect on the integrity of the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area (SPA) and if so whether any suitable mitigation would be available and achievable
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the surrounding area
- Whether the use of the agricultural land in question is justified
- Whether suitable and safe access to the site can be achieved
What decided it
The proposal would be likely to have a significant effect on the integrity of the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits SPA and no suitable mitigation had been demonstrated.
the significant weight attached to the need for renewable energy was outweighed by the unmitigated harm to the integrity of the SPA, tipping the balance firmly against the proposal
Plan policies cited: Policy 4, Policy 26
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.