Agenda item

To consider the motion regarding Solar Farm planning applications.

Councillor Barker was invited to present her motion regarding solar farm planning applications. She said there was a need to have a policy developed regarding solar farm applications and the intention was to “bridge the gap” with this proposal until the time that the Local Plan was in effect. She proposed the motion as set out in the agenda, as follows:

Motion:

This Council notes a number of recent applications for Solar Farms in the area and calls on the planning committee and its officers to recommend the following as a condition should they be minded to approve an application until such a time when the new planning policy framework in the emerging Local Plan has been adopted.

Any successful planning application for a Solar Farm or other energy producing scheme on a green field, in the Countryside Protection Zone or green belt site will have a condition applied to the permission which states that "should all or part of the application site cease to be used for energy production that the site will be returned to its Green Field/ Belt status and will not be considered as a Brown Field site”.

Councillor Loughlin seconded the proposal. She said solar farms were often built upon agricultural land and it was only right that the land was returned to its pre-application state when it was no longer used for the purpose of solar farms.

Councillor Merifield said solar farms were temporary structures and therefore the land would return to its previous state; it would not automatically be designated a “brown-field site”. She said she was confused by the motion and felt that such decisions should be reserved for the Planning Committee.

Councillor Foley spoke on behalf of Councillor Tayler, who was not present. He supported the motion but expected further clarity to be added to the policy via the emerging Local Plan process. Furthermore, the motion did not address the impact of solar farms on the landscape, although it did address the temporary nature of these planning applications.

Councillor Foley said he was a member of CPRE who had been working on the subject and a brochure would be shared with members. 

Councillor Evans said work was being undertaken by the Development Management and Legal teams on the decommissioning of solar farm sites.

The Chief Executive advised that if this motion were to be approved it would not bind the Planning Committee but was expressing a wish that the planning condition under discussion was actively considered in the planning process.

The Chair moved to a vote.

RESOLVED: this Council notes a number of recent applications for Solar Farms in the area and calls on the planning committee and its officers to recommend the following as a condition should they be minded to approve an application until such a time when the new planning policy framework in the emerging Local Plan has been adopted.

Any successful planning application for a Solar Farm or other energy producing scheme on a green field, in the Countryside Protection Zone or green belt site will have a condition applied to the permission which states that "should all or part of the application site cease to be used for energy production that the site will be returned to its Green Field/ Belt status and will not be considered as a Brown Field site”.