Manor House
Small scale private wire renewables can still meet significant local opposition
Clear demonstration of local policies being met
Preparation of timely and proportionate case for appeal
The owner of the Manor House planned to convert his energy supply to 100% renewable energy including a small ground mounted array in his paddock and a ground source heat pump. The proposals were refused and we were appointed to appeal the decision. We made a case against the multiple refusal reasons, quantified the benefits and used case law to support our arguments on Green Belt policy. We won the appeal and also won costs against the Council.
CHALLENGE
The homeowner of the Manor House wanted to change his energy supply from oil to 100% renewable energy and become self-sufficient. The annual oil consumption for the house is 8,000 litres, which equates to carbon emissions of 20,160 kg per annum.
We were appointed following a refusal of planning permission due to alleged impacts on listed buildings, the amenity of a neighbouring property, the character of the area, and the impact on the Green Belt.
SOLUTION
We lodged an appeal against the refused planning application and listed building consent application. We support the appeal with important appeal decisions relating to the main issues including Green Belt, cross referred to the Council’s own Climate Emergency and tackled the refusal reasons with clear reference to the policy tests. We quantified the overall benefits of the scheme and fully addressed all the objections made locally.
LESSONS LEARNED
Draw on multiple wide ranging resources to make the strongest case, including the Council’s own climate emergency strategy, case law, technical evidence base and national targets and distil into short, digestible points suitable for an appeal statement.
