Application for solar farm development refused

Buckinghamshire Council refused permission for a solar farm on grounds of significant adverse effects on the landscape character and visual amenity grounds and stated that the proposal would have lead to the “proliferation of energy infrastructure in a largely undeveloped countryside, impacting its intrinsic character and beauty, and thereby introducing an alien and discordant feature within the pastoral setting.”

We were instructed by a group of local residents to oppose a solar farm development in Buckinghamshire. The site is farmland in close proximity to four other solar farms and nearby the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the locally designated Brill-Winchendon Hills Area of Attractive Landscape. The clients would generally support solar development and renewable energy but the cumulative impact of several large solar farms in the area was overwhelming.

In our original objection letter to the Council, we argued that there was insufficient information upon which the Council could made a determination and that, based on the experts’ reports our client commissioned, the selected site was the wrong location. We also highlighted that the missing information and that, up to the date of our letter, no minerals and feasibility assessment were submitted by the applicant.

We were greatly assisted by the Ecology, Highways, and Soil and Agriculture reports which also identified additional issues in relation to the likely impacts, including, on biodiversity and bird species, sensitivity of local highway network and overlooked factors in relation to the site’s agricultural value. Moreover, the Landscape & visual impact assessment, prepared by Peter Radmall Associates, highlighted the potential adverse impact on the 15 public footpaths crossing over the site as the proposed 3 m high inverter development and the 2 m high fencing, gates and buildings, would have been at the loss of the openness in views and field pattern.

The Council, refusing the application on grounds of significant adverse effects on the landscape character and visual amenity, emphasised the likely harm to the setting of the Chilterns National Landscape and that the proposed mitigation measures would be insufficient. As such, especially considering the four other solar farms in the vicinity, they stated the proposal would “detract from the tranquillity and scenic beauty of the countryside in this area”.