Leader uses strengthened political position to press ahead with legal challenge to Telford solar farm project
Telford's council leader says one of his first priorities of his new administration will be to challenge the Government over a controversial solar farm.
The 99-acre New Works Lane solar project was controversially granted by a junior government minister against the advice of both a Whitehall planning inspector and Telford & Wrekin Council.
Councillor Shaun Davies, who led his Labour group to a strengthened controlling position on Telford & Wrekin Council during Thursday's elections, said: "One of my first priorities is to challenge the government's overruling of our decision to refuse planning permission for a 99-acre solar farm.
"It also remains my mission to see Telford and Wrekin go from strength to strength. Myself and all councillors elected will work hard for you and do all we can to make our borough safe, clean and prosperous."
Councillor Davies has been leader of the authority for seven years has given the go-ahead for Telford & Wrekin Council to take the issue to the High Court.
The council’s planning committee refused planning permission for the 99-acre solar farm between Arleston and Lawley - near the Wrekin - and the government’s local planning inspector agreed with that view, but a minister at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities overruled this in March, giving the solar farm the green light.
In a statement issued on Friday the council says it believes there are arguable legal grounds to challenge the government’s decision because local planning policy had not been fully understood or lawfully applied.
In that statement Councillor Davies said: "The decision goes against the views of our communities, our planning officers, the planning committee and even the government's own planning inspector, who held a public inquiry into the development last summer.
“As a council, we know the vital importance of renewable energy. We are one of only a few councils to have our own solar farm and we have granted a range of others throughout the borough, but these developments must be made in the right places.
“We urge the government, even at this late stage, to willingly reverse its decision and avoid the need for further legal action”.
The council has now lodged an application at the High Court to seek a statutory review of the minister’s decision and a court order to reverse it.
