®Planning appeal decision
Moat Barn Moat Lane, Wickersley, ROTHERHAM, S66 1DZ
the installation of ground mounted solar panels for non-commercial use, including associated equipment, mounting frames, cabling, inverters and battery storage
- Authority
- Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
- Appeal type
- householder · Householder (HAS)
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- utilities-energy · Householder developments
- Inspector
- Heywood S
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal is inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to relevant national and local planning policies and its impact on openness
- Whether the proposal would preserve the setting and special architectural interest of the Grade II listed barn adjoining west end of Moat Farmhouse
- If the development is inappropriate, whether any 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 proposal
What decided it
The urgent need for renewable energy to mitigate climate change and achieve net zero targets, combined with the very limited actual harm to the Green Belt and heritage asset, clearly outweighs the identified harms and constitutes very special circumstances.
Framework references: 11, 152, 160, 161, 167, 168, 212, 215, 232
Plan policies cited: CS 4, SP 2, CS 23, SP 40e
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.