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Dismissed2 December 20253365616

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

Planning appeal 3365616 at Land at Sprucely Farm, Sprucely Farm, Sedgefield , Co Durham, TS21 2BD (Durham County Council) was dismissed on 2 December 2025 by Inspector Normington S, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The extent to which feedstock and digestate disposal can be facilitated from within the farm unit.

an Anaerobic Digestion Plant

Authority
Durham County Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Hearing
Development
minerals-waste · Other Major Developments
Inspector
Normington S
Postcode
TS21 2BD

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

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy 10Policy 33Policy 47Policy 60Policy 61Policy MW1Policy 31Policy MW5Policy 21Policy MW7Policy 44Policy 35Policy 41Policy 42Policy 39
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 116
Judgments
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)

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 Durham County Council

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

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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.