Sevenoaks council sticks to its guns in New Ash Green solar-farm refusal

Sevenoaks District Council has held firm in its view that a proposed solar farm near New Ash Green should be refused planning permission.

CPRE Kent had objected to the 235-acre scheme, which lies in the Green Belt and would threaten ancient woodland, while the local opposition group NONAGS, No New Ash Green Solar, had raised funds to engage solicitors and garnered support from Tom Tugendhat MP.

The council’s planning officers had recommended the Evolution Power scheme be approved, but on Tuesday last week (June 2) the development management committee voted overwhelmingly against it.

The application, submitted in December 2024, had been refused in January this year but with a deferral for legal advice and further investigation. And last week the committee stuck to it guns, citing damage to landscape and heritage assets such as listed buildings.

However, Evolution Power has responded with a threat that the council could face a substantial bill for costs should it choose to appeal the decision.

“The development management committee members cannot lawfully refuse a proposal just because they dislike it – valid reasons for refusal need to be identified,” said director Conor McNally.

“The committee is legally required to follow due process. No justified reason to refuse has been identified and therefore the application must be approved, in line with the officer recommendation.

“Any other action is highly likely to result in an award of costs, estimated at £400,000, against the council at appeal as the committee’s approach and decision would be considered ‘unreasonable behaviour’.”

We await…