Defence Online

Plans for a 4MW solar farm on four hectares of green belt land in Nottinghamshire were granted planning approval by Gedling Borough Council yesterday.The council’s planning committee had been recommended to accept developer Earthworm Energy’s case that the proposed array constituted a ‘sustainable development’ and should therefore be given the go-ahead for construction on green belt land near Calverton.Developer Earthworm Energy’s plans will see 15,000 PV panels erected on green belt farmland and allow livestock to graze on land surrounding the array, which is situated in an area south of Ramsdale Park Golf Centre.Planning consultants NLP also successfully argued on behalf of Earthworm Energy that the site being partially bordered by woodland would help to reduce any adverse visual impact from the panels.According to James Cox, Gedling Borough Council’s decision yesterday goes against the grain of several recent solar farm planning decisions on green belt land, which have seen proposed developments refused permission or rejected on appeal.NLP also last year helped Earthwom Energy secure planning permission for a 5MW solar farm at Duns Tew in Oxfordshire.