'Grey belt' ruling allows solar farm to go ahead

Green belt land around Noke was reclassified as "grey belt" - after a solar farm planning application was initially rejected

A community in Oxfordshire is warning others in the green belt they might be vulnerable to development after a change in planning rules.

A new "grey belt" category has been introduced by the government, which campaigners said puts the countryside at risk.

Plans for a solar farm on green belt in Noke were initially refused permission, but the application was allowed on appeal after Cherwell District Council found the land "clearly" classed as grey belt.

The government said it had set out "detailed considerations" for local authorities for the identification of the grey belt.

In evidence to the planning inspectorate during the appeal, Cherwell District Council said the site on farmland near Noke did not contribute to one of the purposes of the green belt, because it was too far away from Oxford.

It said it therefore did not stop "unrestricted sprawl" of a "large built up area".

The authority is following new guidance from the government, which classifies the case for green belt as "weak" if it is not adjacent or near to a large built up area.

Michael Tyce, from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Oxfordshire, criticised the new rules.

"One of the purposes of the green belt is protection from urban sprawl, another is preventing encroachment on the countryside," he said.

"That's what the green fields do - they represent the countryside that might be encroached on.

"And they've just been tossed away in the new planning policy, altogether."

David de Mestre from Noke Village Committee said classifying nearby farmland as grey belt was a "huge blow" for his community

David de Mestre, from Noke Village Committee, warned that other communities in the green belt were vulnerable to development - having previously thought they were protected.

He said: "The new guidelines seem to be so vague, you could argue that many areas - if not all areas around Oxfordshire - could be considered grey belt, and therefore open to development.

"It was a real shock and a huge blow to the community."

Catherine Williams, from the Home Builders Federation, said the green belt does need to be reviewed if the government wants to meet its target of building 1.5m homes during this Parliament.

She said: "We're increasingly facing significant barriers to enable that delivery.

"The introduction of the grey belt concept is necessary in order to meet that housing target."

The BBC attempted to contact Oxford New Energy, who are planning the solar farm near Noke, but has not received a response.

In the planning application, it said the solar farm would provide up to 26.6 MW of electricity and would deliver "significant environmental benefits for the area assisting in reducing carbon emissions, combating climate change and ensuring local energy security".