Agenda item

[To consider the planning application]

The Committee considered a report regarding 20/00305/FUL - Erection of a solar farm comprising of 11.5ha of photo-voltaic panels, associated infrastructure, access road and battery storage and installation of boundary fencing and closed-circuit television security cameras.

Phillip Walker, Senior Planning Officer, reported that since the agenda had been published:

1. A further four objections had been received, raising concerns relating to traffic, resident amenity and health impact, lack of public consultation, fire risk, landscape and ecological harm.

2.    Responses had been received from Western Power and Cadent, both confirming they had no objections to the proposal.

Mr Kevin Stringer, Deputy CEO of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, addressed the Committee and spoke in support of the application.

Councillor Inston, Chair of Planning Committee, welcomed the application and moved the recommendations. Councillor Page commended the partnership work between the Local Authority and the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, and seconded the recommendations.

In response to concerns regarding carbon balance due to the loss of tree and shrub coverage, Philip Walker, Senior Planning Officer stated that great consideration had been given to the matter and specialists had been consulted throughout. He confirmed that a Landscape Strategy Plan had been agreed and that the mitigation proposals were satisfactory. He further stated that there would be a biodiversity net gain.

In response to concerns regarding the contaminated ground at the site, the Senior Planning Officer assured members that the applicant had demonstrated satisfactorily that the development could be carried out without disturbing the contaminated ground.

Councillor Andrew Randle welcomed the application.

Resolved:

Delegated authority to the Director of Regeneration to grant planning application 20/00305/FUL subject to:

1. No overriding objections from outstanding consultees.

2. Any necessary conditions to include:

• Construction Management Plan
• Notification to the local planning authority of the date of commencement of works
• The development to be retained for a period of not more than 25 years from the date of commencement of the development
• Within six months of the end of the 25 year period the solar panels shall be decommissioned and all related above and below ground structures shall be removed from the site
• Within 24 years of the date of commencement or six months prior to the decommissioning of the panels, whichever is sooner, a decommissioning method statement is to be submitted to and approved by the local planning authority. The site shall be decommissioned and restored in accordance with the decommissioning method statement
• If any of the individual groups (arrays) of solar panels cease to export electricity for a period of six months then a scheme for restoration, including proposals for the removal of the solar panel and restoration of the land, shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the local planning authority.
• Works to stop if any visibly contaminated or odorous material, or structures of any sort are encountered during the development and remediation works to be agreed with the local planning authority and implemented accordingly
• Tree protection
• The local planning authority shall be notified in writing at least 5 working days before soil stripping is due to commence
• Soil handling scheme for the development
• Hours of construction
• Proposed levels of land
• External Lighting
• Implementation of mitigation proposals and recommendations of landscape and visual impact assessment and landscape strategy plan
• Implementation of mitigation proposals and recommendations of ecology surveys and Ecological Management Plan
• Noise attenuation for external plant and machinery

·       Retain existing landfill monitoring infrastructure and continue to provide access for the Environment Agency to this infrastructure