®Planning appeal decision
Land to the North of the Culham Science Centre, Culham, OX14 3ES
Planning appeal 3358132 at Land to the North of the Culham Science Centre, Culham, OX14 3ES (South Oxfordshire District Council) was allowed on 22 July 2025 by Inspector Braithwaite J, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The level of less than substantial harm that would be caused by the proposed development to the setting and significance of the RPG.
a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), comprising a 500 megawatt (MW) battery storage facility with associated infrastructure, access and landscaping, with a connection to the Culham Jet National Grid connection
- Authority
- South Oxfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
- Inspector
- Braithwaite J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The level of less than substantial harm that would be caused by the proposed development to the setting and significance of the RPG
- Whether the site is grey belt land and whether the proposed development otherwise complies with Green Belt policy in the NPPF
- The effect of the proposed development on the character and visual amenity of the landscape
What decided it
The significant weight required to be given to the need for the BESS and its contribution to renewable energy generation and net zero far outweighed the low-end less than substantial heritage harm, moderate/minor landscape and visual harm, and temporary loss of BMV land.
The significant weight afforded to the benefits of the BESS (renewable energy need, net zero contribution) and the partial restoration of the RPG parkland outweighed the low end less than substantial heritage harm, the moderate/minor adverse effect on landscape character and visual amenity, and the temporary loss of 5 hectares of BMV land, so the appeal was determined otherwise than in accordance with the development plan.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy STRAT6Policy STRAT8Policy STRAT9Policy ENV1Policy ENV2Policy ENV6Policy ENV10Policy ENV12Policy DES1Policy DES2Policy DES6Policy DES7Policy DES9Policy STRAT1Policy TRANS5Policy EP1Policy EP4
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 143Paragraph 153Paragraph 154Paragraph 155Paragraph 161Paragraph 168Paragraph 187Paragraph 212Paragraph 215
- Judgments
- Bramley Solar Farm Residents Group v SSLUH&C and others CO/1120/2023
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.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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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.