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Allowed15 July 20253359065

Land North East of Wandon End, North Hertfordshire, LU2 8PS

Planning appeal 3359065 at Land North East of Wandon End, North Hertfordshire, LU2 8PS (North Hertfordshire District Council) was allowed on 15 July 2025 by Inspector Partington A, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether or not the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt for the purposes of the development plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework).

the construction, operation and decommissioning of a solar farm with the capability to export and import up to 49.9MW of electricity at any time, comprising the installation of ground mounted fixed solar panels, associated energy storage and ancillary development including customer and DNO substation, inverter and transformer stations, fencing, security cameras, landscape planting and associated works including grid connection

Authority
North Hertfordshire District Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Inquiry
Development
utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
Inspector
Partington A
Postcode
LU2 8PS

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • Whether or not the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt for the purposes of the development plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework)
  • The effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
  • The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the site and the surrounding area, including the visual effect on users of the Public Rights of Way (PRoW) network
  • If the proposal in inappropriate development, 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 it

What decided it

The substantial public benefit of rapid renewable energy generation, energy security and use of available grid capacity outweighed the moderate landscape/visual harm and less than substantial heritage harm identified.

The less than substantial harm to heritage assets and moderate adverse landscape/visual harm were outweighed by the substantial weight given to renewable energy generation, energy security and grid capacity use, together with significant weight to battery storage and biodiversity benefits and moderate weight to economic benefits, justifying allowing the appeal other than in accordance with the development plan.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
SP5NE2NE12D1SP12D3D4T1NE4NE11HE4NE8SP19
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 154Paragraph 155Paragraph 156Paragraph 143Paragraph 187Paragraph 57
Judgments
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, R (on the application of) v Epping Forest District Council & Anor (Rev 1) [2016] EWCA Civ 404

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 North Hertfordshire

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

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  4. Dismissed7 May 20263375383
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  5. Allowed4 March 20266000934
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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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.