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Following multiple delays after the close of the examination, the Secretary of State late on Friday granted Development Consent for the Sunnica Solar Farm DCO. The scheme would allow for the delivery of over 500 megawatts of renewable energy, located across multiple local authorities in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. The order authorises the installation of solar photovoltaic generating panels and battery energy storage systems technology, along with associated infrastructure for connection to the national grid, including an extension to the Burwell National Grid Substation.
In a report dated 28 June 2023, the Examining Authority recommended that the Secretary of State should withhold consent. You can read their reasoning here.
In one of the first decisions made by the new Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, in disagreeing with the recommendation of the Examining Authority, the planning balance was said to be in favour of granting consent.
“The Secretary of State has considered the overall planning balance and, for the reasons set out in this decision letter, has concluded that the public benefits for the Proposed Development outweigh the harm identified, and that development consent should therefore be granted for the Proposed Development. The Secretary of State has therefore decided under section 114 of the PA2008 to make, with modifications, an Order granting consent for the proposals in the Application.”
You can read the full reasoning in the letter dated 12 July 2024 here.
Richard Turney KC and Nick Grant appeared for the promoter, instructed by a team at Pinsent Masons led by Richard Griffiths
Hashi Mohamed appeared for East Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council.
