Agenda item

Full Application - Installation of Ground Mounted Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Arrays to Provide 45.7 mw Generation Capacity Together wih Transformer Stations; Internal Access Track; Electricity Sub-Station; Landscaping; Fencing; Security Measures; Access Gate and Ancillary Infrastructure at Weighbridge Road, Sealand (051772)

Decision:

                       

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) and the additional conditions detailed in the late observations and subject to the applicant entering into a Unilateral Undertaking in regards to securing the long term use of the generation of electricity to serve the needs of UPM Papermill with only the surplus supplied to the national grid. 

 

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) in respect of this application which had been the subject of a site visit on 21 July 2014.  The usual consultations had been undertaken and the responses received detailed in the report.  Additional comments received since the preparation of the report were circulated at the meeting. 

 

                        The officer detailed the background to the report and drew Members attention to the late observations where two additional conditions were reported and explained that condition 25 had been repeated in error.  The scheme was limited to a 25 year term and the land would be returned to agricultural land at the end of the period.  The site extended to approximately 109 hectares.  He referred Members to paragraph 8.01 where the matters which weighed in favour of the proposal and those against the proposal were reported and he added that this was a very finely balanced application.  It was reported that the site was in the Green Barrier and was on Grade two agricultural land but the case for renewable energy and the economic benefits arising from the development had been considered a very special circumstance to justify the use of the site.  The proposal was not a permanent development within the landscape and could be easily reversed and would allow grazing of sheep, which maintained an element of the original purpose of the land. 

 

                        Mr. M. Redmond on behalf of Burton residents and Puddington Parish Council spoke against the application which he felt was a departure from the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and objections had been received to the proposals.  Mr. Redmond felt that the application did not comply with the policy to only use Grade 2 agricultural land in exceptional circumstances and he spoke of a recently announced project on the issue of food production.  The application would only create 20 jobs and the agricultural land supported 160 jobs.  The only reason given for solar on the land was due to close proximity to UPM otherwise it would be built on poorer quality land.  He referred to the proposed Scottish Power connection for 2000MW which was due to commence in 2016 without detriment to the environment. 

 

                        Mr. S. Gibbins spoke in support of the application.  In addressing the objections received, he said that the visual impact of the site and the loss of agricultural land was temporary as the land would be returned after 25 years in a better condition.  Other sites had been considered but this site scored the best for its suitability and it was felt that there would be a benefit of £40m to the local economy.  Local contractors would be used in the construction of the project and 27 full or part time jobs would be created once the scheme had been completed.  Mr. Gibbins felt that the scheme would provide significantly to the economy of the area and he commented on a £50,000 per annum contribution to a North Wales Skills and Technology Centre.  The scheme would also include the upgrade of an electricity substation and negotiations had been undertaken with UPM to purchase the electricity generated by the park.                  

 

            Councillor Derek Butler proposed the recommendation for approval which was duly seconded.  He agreed that the application was finely balanced but said that the land would be improved by the end of the 25 year term.  He said that there was a demand for cheaper electricity.  Councillor Christine Jones, the local Member, concurred but spoke of the loss of grade two agricultural land, the site being in the green barrier and the impact on ecology and wildlife in the area.  However, she felt that this was outweighed by the benefits to the economy of Flintshire and UPM and other businesses in the area.  She said that there was a need for renewable energy and would secure sustainable energy which could encourage businesses to come to Deeside which would be a long term benefit for the area.  Councillor C. Jones said that she hoped that approval of the application would not set a precedent for other agricultural land in the area to be used for solar panels in the future. 

 

            Councillor Chris Bithell spoke of the high grade agricultural land which was limited in the United Kingdom and highlighted the objection of Welsh Government Department for Natural Resources and Food because it was not in the long term national interest to lose 109 hectares of the best and most versatile agricultural land.  He asked whether the applicant would be able to extend the term beyond 25 years.  He also spoke of the application which had been submitted in 1997 which was called in by the Secretary of State for Wales and was refused because of lack of need; he felt that this application could also be called in. 

 

            Councillor Owen Thomas said that there were very few farms of this size in Flintshire and added that the only other grade 2 land was on the Dee Estuary.  He felt that the solar panel would be in place for 30 years due to the time to be added on for the erection and removal of the arrays.  He said that there were other areas where the solar farm could be located and added that nothing could outweigh the use of grade two land.  He asked whether the site would become a brownfield site following the end of the term and stated that there would not be any grass under the panels for the sheep to graze on. 

 

            Councillor Mike Peers noted the objection from the WG department and said that 25 years was permanent, not temporary.  He highlighted paragraph 7.16 and felt that a different site could have been chosen but agreed with the benefits of the proposal.  He suggested that alternative sites could be on the roof of buildings, such as Toyota, which benefitted from long periods of sunshine.  Councillor Peers referred to paragraph 7.26 where it was reported that the development would change the character of the field it was in but that there would be little change to the actual topography of the field.  He said that he could not support the application and suggested that the Council surveyed the county to establish suitable sites for any future similar proposals which would not have too much of an impact on the area. 

 

            Councillor Marion Bateman said that she was fully in favour of renewable energy but not to the detriment of the green barrier.  She asked why other sites had been discounted and suggested that applications such as this were premature and should be considered as part of the Local Development Plan (LDP).  Councillor Billy Mullin supported the renewable energy policy but raised concern about the departure from the UDP which could result in other applications for solar panels on agricultural land being submitted.  Councillor Richard Jones said that there was a need to consider the type of land used for such developments and suggested that a brownfield site would be more appropriate.  Councillor Gareth Roberts concurred that an application on a brownfield site would be approved and that this proposal should be refused due to its location.  He felt that there were suitable alternatives and suggested that the solar panels could be sited over a number of fields, not just one. 

 

            In response to the comments made, the officer said that a critical element to this proposal was the reversibility as the framework could be easily removed at the end of the term.  There would be an agricultural element as there would be room for the sheep to graze and the proposal would be linked to UPM which would potentially reduce their electricity costs which could make a difference to the future long term strategy of the company.  A previous scheme referred to in paragraph 5.01 was dismissed due to the lack of need for the development and the lack of an end user, however this was not the case for this application.  The site had been chosen because of its closeness to UPM and other sites such as the roof of buildings could not be considered due to restrictions.  Alternative sites were detailed in paragraph 7.22 along with criteria for choosing such sites and reasons why the other sites had been discounted. 

 

            The Planning Strategy Manager spoke of national and international employers and their significance in a Flintshire context.  The 25 year term for the siting of the solar panels would be controlled by condition but he spoke of changing technologies which could result in the solar panels not being viable before the end of the 25 year period.  He said that it was not appropriate to defer the application for the LDP as the plan may not be adopted for another four to five years and would not carry any weight in policy terms until then.  The land would be the same quality at the end of the 25 years and therefore using green barrier land was justified for this application.

 

            In summing up, Councillor Butler said that the debate reflected how finely balanced the application was but said that he agreed with the economic benefits of the proposal.  He hoped that the application would not be called in and highlighted paragraph 7.22 which provided details of the end user for the scheme.  Alternative sites had been considered but it was felt that this site was the most suitable.     

 

            RESOLVED:

 

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) and the additional conditions detailed in the late observations and subject to the applicant entering into a Unilateral Undertaking in regards to securing the long term use of the generation of electricity to serve the needs of UPM Papermill with only the surplus supplied to the national grid. 

 

Supporting documents: