Site address: Land At Watlington Road, Cowley, Oxford 

Proposal: Installation of an underground high voltage cable to support solar farm (South Oxfordshire Reference P23/S4132/FUL)

Reason at Committee: Major Development

RECOMMENDATION

Oxford City Planning Committee?is recommended to:?

1. Approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of this report and grant planning permission
2. Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulation to finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Director of Planning and Regulation considers reasonably necessary

Site address: Land At Watlington Road, Cowley, Oxford

Proposal: Installation of an underground high voltage cable to support solar farm (South Oxfordshire Reference P23/S4132/FUL)

The Oxford City Planning Committee resolved to:

1.    Approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of this report and grant planning permission

2.    Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulation to finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Director of Planning and Regulation considers reasonably necessary

The Committee considered an application for the Installation of an underground high voltage cable to support solar farm (South Oxfordshire Reference P23/S4132/FUL)

The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and plans:

·       The application sought planning permission for the installation and operation of an underground high voltage electricity cable linking a consented solar farm to the local electrical distribution network. As the works constituted an engineering operation, they did not benefit from the same permitted development rights and therefore required planning permission.

·       No removal of hedgerows was proposed and a number of planning conditions were imposed to ensure appropriate environmental protections were secured throughout the construction and operational phases.

·       The cable was to be buried underground with the land fully reinstated following construction. As a result, the proposal would have generated only temporary construction related impacts, with negligible long-term effects on landscape character and ecology. Subject to standard construction controls and site reinstatement measure, the development was considered to accord with national and local planning policies supporting renewable energy infrastructure and the provision of necessary grid connections. 

The Committee asked questions about the details of the application which were responded to by the officers.

On being proposed, seconded, and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons set out in the report and subject to conditions including the two additional conditions and a legal agreement.

The Oxford City Planning Committee resolved to:

1.    Approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of this report and grant planning permission

2.    Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regulation to finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Director of Planning and Regulation considers reasonably necessary