Contact your Parish Council

OFFICER COMMENT: My attention has been draw to a Planning Inspectorate appeal decision (APP/V2255/A/14/2212593) re: Littles Farm, Kent (Swale District) where the Inspector dismissed the appeal for a large scale (9.5MW) solar farm on the basis that the development would involve an unjustified take-up of high quality agricultural land contrary to the advice in The National Planning Practice Guidance (Renewable and low carbon energy) 2014.

Relating that decision to this application, I acknowledge that this is likely to be high quality agricultural land but this is not an application for a large scale solar farm (to which the 2014 Guidance referred to specifically applies): rather it is a relatively small array directly related to the farm business. The land would be grassed and, in my view, a small scale array of this nature could be relatively easily decommissioned: therefore a reversion to arable farming would be possible.

I find no significant conflict with this appeal decision or the 2014 Guidance.

MY RECOMMENDATION REMAINS UNCHANGED