Solar farm decision overturned on appeal
Getty ImagesThe rejection of a solar farm, which opponents said would leave residents feeling like "prisoners" in their "own home", has been overturned on appeal.
Reform UK-led Durham County Council rejected plans for the 63-hectare solar farm, alongside a battery storage system, in Haswell Plough last July following opposition.
The Planning Inspectorate overturned the decision following an appeal by developers Hare Hill Solar Ltd.
It decided the renewable energy benefits of the scheme outweighed its harm.
Among those who opposed the scheme was resident Janice Ferguson, who said the farm would leave her family "prisoners in our own home".
At the time, Ferguson told councillors: "In every direction, we will be surrounded by wire fencing, security lighting, and CCTV cameras. We will have to endure at least a year of dust and drilling while 90,000 panels are piledriven into the ground all around us."
She was one of 25 original objectors, alongside Easington's Labour MP Grahame Morris, who argued the proposal would harm the landscape, affect residents and create potential noise issues, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The Planning Inspectorate accepted the farm would lead to "moderate harm" to the character and appearance of the area.
But it said that new tree and hedgerow plant would reduce the farm's visual impact over time.
Ultimately it decided the renewable energy benefits of the scheme outweighed its harm.
Hare Hill Solar Ltd said the panels would generate the amount of electricity typically used by 17,600 homes each year.
