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Planning appeal decision

Dismissed2 December 20253365616

Land at Sprucely Farm, Sprucely Farm, Sedgefield , Co Durham, TS21 2BD

an Anaerobic Digestion Plant

Authority
Durham County Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
minerals-waste · Other Major Developments
Inspector
Normington S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • The extent to which feedstock and digestate disposal can be facilitated from within the farm unit.
  • The extent to which the proposal accords with the Development Plan in respect of the management of agricultural waste and the location of new waste management facilities.
  • The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the site and the surrounding area.
  • The effect of the proposed development on nearby sensitive receptors with particular regard to odour.
  • The effect of the proposed development on highway safety and the free flow of traffic.

What decided it

The very significant adverse effect of the scale and industrial form of the development on the character and appearance of the surrounding countryside outweighed the identified benefits.

the significant benefits of renewable energy generation, waste hierarchy/self-sufficiency contribution, moderate biodiversity net gain and minor economic benefits were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the very significant harm to the character and appearance of the landscape

Framework references: 116

Plan policies cited: Policy 10, Policy 33, Policy 47, Policy 60, Policy 61, Policy MW1, Policy 31, Policy MW5, Policy 21, Policy MW7, Policy 44, Policy 35, Policy 41, Policy 42, Policy 39

Judgments cited: Bernard Wheatcroft Ltd v Secretary of State for the Environment and Another [1980] 10 WLUK 258; Holborn Studios Ltd -v- The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin)

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every other appeal around it, with the full reasoning summary, the letter held on file, and the case law it applies.