Local governments within the United Kingdom have launched a authorized problem towards the Sunnica Energy Farm challenge, claiming the event will put extra monetary stress on cash-strapped councils. The Sunnica challenge was greenlit by the brand new Labor authorities in July 2024.
One of the most important photo voltaic and storage developments within the United Kingdom is going through a authorized problem from native authorities administrations, following the UK authorities’s choice to approve the challenge in July 2024.
The Sunnica Energy Farm photo voltaic plus storage challenge, with approval for a grid connection of as much as 500 MW, has been granted improvement approval after a year-long course of, however continues to face opposition from locals politicians and campaigners. Plans for the challenge embrace a 621-hectare photo voltaic park in addition to 33 hectares for battery storage, which straddles the borders of West Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, England.
Secretary of State for Energy Ed Miliband granted a improvement consent order (DCO) for Sunnica in July 2024 as a part of a trio of DCO choices made in his first two weeks in workplace. Local politicians declare that the minister acted too shortly. In a press release saying the authorized motion, Councilor Richard Rout of Suffolk County Council accused Miliband of “waving the appalling Sunnica software with reckless abandon.”
Solar tasks in England with a capability of greater than 50 MW require sign-off from central authorities, within the type of a DCO. This course of replaces the conventional native authority planning course of and as a substitute sees a nationwide Planning Inspector advise the secretary of state on whether or not tasks ought to go forward. Sunnica Energy Farm was permitted by Miliband towards the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate. However, it was made after the introduction of the brand new information for the analysis of necessary tasks within the nation, which was carried out in 2024 after the preliminary evaluation of the Sunnica Energy Farm was carried out. The replace provides the important standing of nationwide significance to all types of low-carbon infrastructure.
In response to the choice, Suffolk County Council, West Suffolk Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, and East Cambridgeshire District Council despatched a pre-action protocol letter to the secretary of state, step one on the street to potential judicial assessment proceedings. If the secretary of state and the native councils fail to discover a compromise, the subsequent step for the councils is to use to the High Court to acquire a judicial assessment. This declare should be submitted inside six weeks after the DCO is granted, which is on July 12 2023.
Local authorities say the event will lead to a substantial quantity of further work, and due to this fact prices, for native authorities already going through monetary stress. Although it isn’t unusual for native authorities to hunt payment provisions to cowl the prices related to managing tasks awarded a DCO, the choice to incorporate a payment provision rests with the secretary of state . There are not any provisions included within the consent order for Sunnica.
Sunnica was reached and declined to remark.
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