Nottinghamshire solar farm planning appeal rejected

An appeal against plans to build a solar farm in Nottinghamshire has been rejected.

In 2022, Hamilton Solar Ltd applied for a 23-acre site on Cauldwell Road between Mansfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield, saying it would allow a nearby industrial park to “harness zero carbon power”.

Ashfield District Council rejected the application due to concerns about impacts on rural and surrounding areas Mound on Hamilton HillA monument dating back to the Bronze Age.

A report prepared by an inspector following a visit in February said the proposed site and its surroundings “contribute positively to the character of the countryside” and are “responsive to change”.

The Planning Inspectorate report noted plans for a “landscape and mitigation and recovery scheme” to address the impact on the local environment, but said the plans would involve “significant development towards the edge of Sutton-in-Ashfield which could cause environmental damage”. the emergence of a large area of ​​land containing open and undeveloped agricultural areas”.

“The subsequent loss of openness and erosion of the undeveloped qualities of the area will weaken the relationship of the countryside to the settlement,” he said.

Concerns about the impact of the Mound on Hamilton Hill were also cited as a factor in the rejection of the appeal.

The Planning Inspectorate report said advice on the planned monument had been sought from Historic England (HE) and that the site had been used for a variety of purposes over the centuries.

“HE refers to many possibilities for the potential use of the mound, including a Bronze Age mound, lookout and gallows site, (but) its significance is most likely related to administrative and decision-making functions,” the report said.

“The stated benefits will be of greater importance and outweigh the identified harm.”