Council seeks ‘urgent’ legal advice over solar farm decision

Telford and Wrekin Council is taking "urgent legal advice" over a local government minister’s decision to allow a new solar farm to go-ahead despite opposition from the community.

The council has said it has six weeks to appeal the minister's decision in the High Court.

The New Works Lane solar farm, prosed by ‘Greentech Invest’, was granted planning permission by Local Government Minister Lee Rowley.

The council had previously refused permission, arguing that the project would harm an area of “outstanding natural beauty”.

Telford and Wrekin already has its own solar farm, and noted that it “knows the importance of renewable energy”. However, it added that “these developments need to be made in the right places”.

At a council planning committee meeting in October 2021, planning permission was refused on the basis that the new solar farm would result in “significant harm to the character of the area and thus impact on the enjoyment of the area by receptors using the local public rights of way”.

Telford and Wrekin told Local Government Lawyer today (31 March) that it is still seeking legal advice around what its “options for challenge are”.

In a statement made earlier this week, Cllr Shaun Davies, Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council said: "We are bitterly disappointed that a junior minister has granted planning permission for the New Works Lane solar farm. This decision goes against the views of our communities, our planning officers, the planning committee and the government's own planning inspector.

“In his letter, the minister recognised that the proposal will harm the local landscape and that the site is clearly valued by local residents, yet he has still deemed the site suitable for development, even though he has never visited the site or heard first-hand all the evidence put forward at the planning committee or the inquiry.

“There are other applications for solar farms that are being considered both within the borough and in other areas of the country and we are concerned about how this decision may impact upon decision-makers considering such applications in the future."

Cllr Davies added: “We are now taking urgent legal advice on what we can do to challenge the government's decision – a decision which completely fails to respect our communities, the planning committee, or the planning inspector. We urge the Secretary of State to look at the decision of in person."

Campaigner Jocelyn Lewis, of the Stop Steeraway and New Works Industrial Solar 'Farms' group said: “As a campaign group, we are waiting to see whether the local authority feels they have grounds to appeal, and at the same time, hoping that our MP Mark Pritchard can intervene.

“This site has been objected to by all three surrounding parish and town councils, it was unanimously refused by the borough planning committee, it was recommended for refusal by the Planning Inspector after a lengthy public inquiry and has only, at the last moment been approved by Under Secretary of State Lee Rowley.”

The minister has been approached for comment.

Lottie Winson