Agenda item

Green Hill Solar Farm

Decision:

RESOLVED

KEY DECISION

That the Executive:

a) Endorsed the Regulation 11 Notice to submit a draft statutory consultation response on the Preliminary Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) in regard to the proposed Green Hill Solar Farm.

b) Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Place and Economy, in consultation with the Executive Member for Growth and Regeneration, to respond to consultations and engagement from the developer and the Planning Inspectorate (including the Examining Authority) during the following Development Consent Order stages: Pre-application; Acceptance; Pre-Examination; Examination; and Post-Examination.

c) Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Place and Economy to deal with post-decision matters (if development consent is granted) including matters such as determination of applications under the Development Consent Order consenting regime and enforcement in respect of any Development Consent Order granted by the Secretary of State.

Reason for Recommendations –

· To adhere to the guidance set down by the Planning Inspectorate to ensure adequate delegations are in place to enable the Council to represent the interests of North Northamptonshire Council as ‘Host Authority’ and participate in the Development Consent Order stages within the tight formal timeframes.

Alternative Options Considered –

· It has been considered whether the authority of the Executive should be sought at each of the different stages of the Development Consent Order process. This has been rejected due to the need to meet statutory timescales and the risk that the impacts of the development on North Northamptonshire’s local communities would not be fully considered.

· The Council could also decide not to respond further to the Development Consent Order process. This course of action is not recommended due to the risk that the impacts of the development on North Northamptonshire’s local communities would not be fully considered and any opportunity to secure mitigation for the impacts would be lost should consent be granted. Furthermore, this option is likely to be reputationally damaging to the Council, especially given its status as a ‘Statutory Consultee’ and ‘Host Authority’.

Minutes:

The Chair invited Cllr Jim Hakewill to address the Executive. Cllr Hakewill stated that most people would be opposed to covering farmland with solar panels when siting panels on buildings would be less damaging for the environment. Cllr Hakewill queried the Council’s policy for such installations and queried why reports on Green Hill Solar Farm were not being tabled at the Council’s Planning Committee (North) as well as Planning (South), with plans sought for a joint committee to convene to consider the proposal. Queries were also raised regarding resourcing the Council’s involvement in the Development Consent Order and the report not having been presented to the Council’s scrutiny function.

The Chair then invited Cllr Dorothy Maxwell to speak on this item. Cllr Maxwell referenced the vast scale of the proposal and the potential impact in terms of environmental damage, flooding, air quality, noise and vibration considerations.

The Chair thanked speakers for their comments before inviting the Executive Member for Growth and Regeneration, Cllr David Brackenbury to introduce a report that advised the Executive of the proposed Green Hill Solar Farm development, the Development Consent Order planning process it was subject to; and sought appropriate delegations to the Executive Director of Place and Economy in consultation with the Executive Member for Growth and Regeneration, to respond to consultations and engagement from the developer and the Planning Inspectorate.

Cllr Brackenbury noted that the scheme, that could generate up to 500MW of power, was deemed to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and was therefore subject to approval by the Secretary of State.

The scheme proposed the creation of 1200 hectares of solar panels running across nine sites from Lavendon in Buckinghamshire to near the village of Old in Northamptonshire. As the majority of the proposal was sited within Northamptonshire, as hosting authority the Council would have to work with the developer in all aspects of pre-application and determinations. As a consultee, the Council would also be making representations as part of the lengthy planning inquiry when the application was considered by the Planning Inspectorate.

Cllr Brackenbury confirmed that representations for all areas impacted by the proposal were welcome to be submitted to the Council’s Planning Committee (South) when it was time to consider the application.

It was noted that the proposal had been brought forward as Development Consent Order by the Secretary of State and the Council had to engage with process in order to articulate the concerns of residents affected by the proposal so these could be considered as part of the proposal examination. It was noted as being important that the views of the Council and residents were considered as part of the process.

Cllr Brackenbury noted that permission for the development to proceed was not guaranteed and it was of vital importance that the Council engaged at every step of the lengthy planning process.