Issue - meetings

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

Proposed solar farm measuring 35.5 hectares with associated battery storage and ancillary infrastructure

RESOLVED: That Application 24/02455/FP be GRANTED planning permission subject to the reasons and conditions set out in the report of the Development and Conservation Manager, with the amendments to Condition 4, Condition 9, Condition 12, Condition 14, Condition 16, Condition 18, Condition 24, Condition 25 and Condition 27, the removal of Condition 10 and 11 and the addition of Condition 29, as follows:

‘Condition 4

No development approved by this planning permission shall take place (including ground works or vegetation clearance) until a construction environmental management plan (CEMP: Biodiversity) has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The CEMP (Biodiversity) should be informed by the 2024 Ecological Assessment and a pre-construction badger survey and include the following.

a)           Risk assessment of potentially damaging construction activities.

b)           Identification of "biodiversity protection zones".

c)           Practical measures to avoid or reduce impacts during construction.

d)           The location and timing of sensitive works to harm to biodiversity features.

e)           The times during construction when specialist ecologists need to be present on site to oversee works.

f)            Responsible persons and lines of communication.

g)           The role and responsibilities on site of an ecological clerk of works (ECoW) or similarly competent person.

h)           Use of protective fences, exclusion barriers and warning signs.

i)             The approved CEMP shall be adhered to and implemented throughout the construction period strictly in accordance with the approved details, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the local planning authority.

Reason: To minimise the impact of the construction process on the biodiversity and ecology of the site, in line with Policy NE2 and NE4 of the Local Plan.

Condition 9

A) No development approved by this permission shall take place/commence until an Archaeological Written Scheme of Investigation has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority in writing and in accordance with the programme of work as set out in the Archaeological Brief (P01/22/0709/3). The scheme shall include an assessment of archaeological significance and research questions; and:

1.           The programme and methodology of site investigation and recording.

2.           The programme and methodology of site investigation and recording as required by the evaluation.

3.           The programme for post investigation assessment.

4.           Provision to be made for analysis of the site investigation and recording.

5.           Provision to be made for publication and dissemination of the analysis and records of the site investigation.

6.           Provision to be made for archive deposition of the analysis and records of the site investigation.

7.           Nomination of a competent person or persons/organisation to undertake the works set out within the Archaeological Written Scheme of Investigation.

B) The development shall take place/commence in accordance with the programme of archaeological works set out in the Written Scheme of Investigation approved under condition (A).

C) The development shall not be occupied/used until the site investigation and post investigation assessment has been completed in accordance with the programme set out in the Written Scheme of Investigation approved under condition (A) and the provision made  ...  view the full decision text for item 26

Audio recording – 3 hours 8 minutes 35 seconds

The Senior Planning Officer provided a verbal update on matters within the Addendum to the report in respect of Application 24/02455/FP, as well as other updated matters relating to the application and advised that:

·             The appeal lodged against the decision on the Wandon End Solar Farm application had been allowed following a Public Inquiry and planning permission had been granted. 

·             Wymondley Parish Council had written a second letter of objection in relation to a grey belt assessment document produced by the Applicant.

·             Pre-commencement conditions had been agreed by the Applicant Agent.

·             Green Belt Review categorisation of sub-parcel 10a within the report had been changed, however, the overall recommendation had not changed due to this carrying little weight.

·             An updated list of conditions had been added to the recommendations, including the addition of a Construction Traffic Management Plan, and were detailed in the supplementary documents.

The Senior Planning Officer presented the report in respect of Application 24/02455/FP supported by a visual presentation consisting of plans and photographs.

The following Members asked questions:

·             Councillor Caroline McDonnell

·             Councillor Mick Debenham

In response to questions, the Senior Planning Officer advised that:

·             There were similarities between this application and the one at Wandon End and the recent appeal decision could be used as guidance to inform their decision. However, the report for this application had been published before the outcome of the Public Inquiry and each application should be assessed individually on its own merits.

·             Cumulative loss of Green Belt within the district had not been directly addressed in the report but it detailed that the impact of the site would be limited against the part 3 consideration due to its scale and benefits. 

·             There were residential properties within view of the site, however, the impact of the development had been considered and mitigation measures would be put in place, such as enhanced boundary treatment and hedgerow planting.

The Chair invited the first Public Objector, St Ippolyts Parish Councillor Peter Hobson to speak against the application. Councillor Hobson thanked the Chair for the opportunity and provided the Committee with a verbal presentation, and highlighted the following:

·             The approval of the application rested on whether the land would be designated as Grey Belt or Green Belt.

·             They felt that the developer was taking advantage of the grey belt requirements outlined in the Planning Policy Guidance (PPG), particularly paragraph 7.

·             In the 2016 Green Belt Review, one of the two fields in the application site was classified as making a strong contribution to the Green Belt purpose, particularly purposes A and B.

·             This contribution applied at the granular level of sub-parcel 10a which covered a substantial part of the site and parcel 10 which covered the Langley Valley, a major part of the green belt gap between Stevenage and Hitchin.

·             Applying paragraph 7 of the PPG precluded the Grey Belt land classification.

·             The site at Wandon End was assessed by the Appeal Inspector as Grey Belt due to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26