Solar farm refusal overturned by government
LDRSA decision to refuse plans for a new countryside solar farm has been overturned by the government.
Durham County Council (DCC) turned down the application for land near Burnhope, County Durham, after hundreds of objections and a High Court appeal in July last year.
Councillors voted against the plan by Lightsource bp for the 92-hectare (227-acre) site, due to the size and scale of the proposed solar farm and the loss of landscape.
Overruling that vote, the Planning Inspectorate said the need to tackle climate change and achieve Net Zero targets outweighed the concerns.
The plans were initially approved by DCC in 2023, but a campaign group won a judicial review of the decision, which was quashed by a high court judge.
Lightsource bp resubmitted its application in 2024 and said it had improved landscaping to minimise visual impacts, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Up to 14 fields near Burnhope would be overlaid with panels, including areas near a nature reserve, the plans said.
Lightsource bp said the project would provide £500,000 in community benefits and millions in business rates.
LDRSThe inspectorate report said: "The adverse landscape impacts identified would be temporary, reversible and highly localised.
"There would be major adverse landscape character changes within the site boundary, which would endure for the life of the development.
"However, given the high degree of physical containment this site displays, harm to landscape character beyond the site would be limited."
Villagers previously warned the development would harm the future of Burnhope.
The inspectorate said it understood residents' frustrations and despite concerns being "eloquently and passionately expressed", it said it had to operate objectively.
The report said: "The imperative to tackle climate change, achieve net zero targets and contribute to energy security as recognised in legislation and energy policy, and the other benefits of the scheme clearly outweigh those harms."
