Objection to Solar Application in Denby

CPRE Derbyshire Objects to the Proposed Solar Farm in Denby

CPRE Derbyshire has submitted a formal objection to planning application AVA/2024/0877, which proposes a large solar farm, battery energy storage system and associated infrastructure on Green Belt land near Denby.

While CPRE fully supports renewable energy generation, this proposal would result in the irreversible industrialisation of 60+ hectares of open countryside, causing significant harm to the Green Belt, and going against national and local planning policies.

The site lies within designated Green Belt land and plays a vital role in maintaining the settlement gap between Denby and Ripley. Despite the applicant’s claim that the land qualifies as grey belt, CPRE Derbyshire refutes this. The land is currently in productive agricultural use, contributes to openness, and is not identified for release in the Amber Valley SHELAA or current and emerging Local Plan. CPRE’s national policy is clear: Grey Belt is not a recognised planning designation and cannot be used to justify speculative development.

The proposal contradicts Paragraphs 142–154 of the NPPF, along with Local Plan Policy EN1 and emerging policies EN7, EN8 and SS3, all of which protect countryside and landscape character from inappropriate development.

We are concerned that this will not be an isolated proposal. It forms part of a cumulative development, with a second large solar adjacent to the site in a pre-application stage. Together, these developments would effectively merge Ripley, Denby and Smalley, eliminating Green Belt buffer between these settlements and undermining one of the core purposes of Green Belt policy.

This application fails to demonstrate exceptional circumstances to build upon Green Belt land and does not follow a brownfield-first approach, and would result in significant harm to the environment, heritage, and local amenity.

It is the above points which CPRE Derbyshire has objected to this planning application.