BSR Energy has challenged the decision by the Welsh Minister not to grant planning consent to its 75MW Rush Wall Solar Park project in south Wales.
The Minister’s decision was announced in June 2023, despite the project having been recommended for approval in the Inspector’s Report, BSR said.
A spokesperson for BSR Energy said: “Although we were disappointed by the Welsh Minister’s decision on the proposed Rush Wall Solar Park, we were encouraged by the Inspector’s Report, which highlighted the significant benefits the scheme would deliver.
“Our site selection process was robust and followed planning policy.
“We looked at a wide range of factors in selecting a site, such as the location of electrical connections, environmental and planning designations, existing land use, agricultural land classification, visual impact, topography, and cumulative impacts.
“The project’s ability to connect to the UK’s national electricity grid is the most significant benefit of the site.
“The Rush Wall site is part of an SSSI designation, and a full environmental statement was produced highlighting a range of natural protections and betterments the development will secure. Detailed assessments were undertaken by our environmental consultants, which led to a scheme design that is sensitive towards and compatible with the local landscape and environment.”
BSR Energy submitted its application for planning consent to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales in March 2022.
The application was for the development of ancillary electrical equipment and infrastructure, access tracks, security fencing and CCTV.
The operational lifespan of the project would be 35 years.
Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a key priority for BSR Energy on all its sites.
The UK government is set to introduce a minimum target of 10% BNG for large developments such as solar parks from November 2023, but BSR Energy already goes a step beyond this to target a minimum 60% gain on its developments, the company said.