Large 30MW solar farm approved in Chichester District

A planning inspector has granted planning permission for a 30MW solar farm on 49 hectares of agricultural land in the village of Runcton near Chichester in West Sussex. The scheme will provide enough electricity to power some 10,000 homes a year.

The local planning authority, Chichester District Council, had refused planning permission, citing concerns about the impact of the proposal on the landscape and the use of best and most versatile agricultural land.

The inspector allowed the appeal following a two-day hearing, concluding that the development would have only a minor adverse effect on landscape character once mitigation planting matures, and no significant adverse impact on the setting of the South Downs National Park or Chichester Harbour National Landscape. The less than substantial harm to Smith's Barn, a Grade II listed building, was at the lower end and clearly outweighed by the public benefits of the scheme.

The inspector also accepted the appellant's evidence that the loss of agricultural production would be negligible in both local and national terms and that the land would be fully restored following the 40-year operational period.

In the final planning balance, the inspector was satisfied that the proposal complied with the development plan as a whole, notwithstanding that it would have some minor adverse effects in landscape and visual terms.

Gwion Lewis KC, instructed by Jackson Planning, acted for the successful appellant, BNRG Langmead Ltd.