®Planning appeal decision
Parcel 1643 Middle Piece Lane, Burnett, Keynsham, BS31 2ED
Installation, operation and decommissioning of renewable energy generating station comprising ground-mounted photovoltaic solar arrays together with transformer stations, site accesses, internal access tracks, security measures, access gates, other ancillary infrastructure and landscaping and biodiversity enhancements
- Authority
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Appeal type
- major · Planning
- Procedure
- Written
- Development
- utilities-energy
- Postcode
- BS31 2ED
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the Framework and relevant development plan policies
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
- The effect of the proposal on the setting of listed buildings located nearby
What decided it
The substantial renewable energy benefits, including generation of 22 GWh annually and displacement of 8,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year, combined with strong national and local policy support for renewable energy and the contribution to net zero objectives, outweighed the significant harm to landscape character and minor harm to heritage asset settings.
The significant harm to landscape character and appearance and minor harm to the setting of listed buildings were outweighed by the substantial benefits of renewable energy generation, energy security, biodiversity net gain, and local economic benefits, with the renewable energy benefits attracting substantial weight in the context of national net zero commitments.
Plan policies cited: Policy CP8 of the BANES Core Strategy, Policy GB1 of the BANES Placemaking Plan, Policy NE2 of the Placemaking Plan, Policy NE2a of the Placemaking Plan, Policy CP3 of the Local Plan – Partial Update, Policy HE1 of the Placemaking Plan, Policy RE5 of the Placemaking Plan
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.