Stop Solar Developers Abuse of Planning Rules

by Neil Smith

Stop Solar Developers Abuse of Planning Rules

by Neil Smith
Neil Smith
Case Owner
I live in rural Nottinghamshire and love this beautiful environment. Unfortunately the area is beset with massive solar power plant applications in inappropriate places.
Closed
on 21st January 2025
£500
pledged of £10,000 target from 1 pledge
Neil Smith
Case Owner
I live in rural Nottinghamshire and love this beautiful environment. Unfortunately the area is beset with massive solar power plant applications in inappropriate places.

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Who am I? - I live in a rural part of Nottinghamshire subject to a massive Solar Power Station application. We actively support Solar in the right place where it has been properly planned.

Summary - The planning application to build a 150,000 panel solar power station on 100ha of prime farm land was approved on Appeal on October 2024. Despite clear planning law and policy controlling the maximum size, the Appeal Inspector failed to find justification for the massive "overplanting" of panels, or even put any controls on the density of panels. This has implications for all future Solar planning applications, and only 4 weeks after decision has already been referenced in the Byers Gill application to support massive overplanting.

What are we trying to achieve? - This case will define for the future how the size of a solar power plant will be established and interpreted.  The Fordham J in the Galloway case and Ministerial statements have defined parameters which the Inspector has disagreed. Without formal establishment of these parameters of energy production and overplanting solar plants will be massively over sized with dramatic unnecessary impacts on landscape, food production, and heritage country wide. 

What is the next step in the case? - Our case is being lodged with the court in early December 2024

How much we are raising and why? - We are looking to raise £35,000 toward the legal costs of this review. Our local community fought the Appeal but this was at a large cost emptying our resources.

Thank you for taking interest in this case, and any support you can provide.

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