BLAENAU Gwent Council has been awarded £5,500 after the High Court ruled in its favour over a decision to grant planning permission for a solar farm in Abertillery.

The council’s planning department approved the planning application for a 14MW photovoltaic solar park in November last year.

But a separate company called KCS Asset Management, which is involved in a mineral project next to the site, claimed the decision was unlawful and a judicial review against the council’s decision was launched.

The site sits just north of Aberbeeg, in between the A4046 to its west and Abertillery and Six Bells to its east. 

If built, the park would house 53,955 solar panels over 28.6 hectares of land.

Planning permission had been granted on two conditions - that all electrical cabling should be installed underground and the southern cabling route should not be part of planning permission until ecological issues were addressed.

But Kevin Stevens, behind KCS Asset Management, opposed the decision and the matter went to the High Court in Cardiff on May 1 this year. 

Mr Stevens said granting permission was unlawful on four grounds. He said it was unclear whether excavation of cabling routes were allowed, there was a failure to consider ecological issues, the council breached its biodiversity duties in granting planning permission without ecological surveys, and it did not consider the UK’s Government’s photovoltaic strategy.

The Honourable Mrs Justice Patterson heard the case and judged on June 5 that the four claims had failed. She ordered the claimant to pay £5,500 in council costs.

She ruled there was “nothing unlawful about the approach of the planning authority in granting planning permission” and the wording of the permission was clear.

She said there was clear evidence Blaenau Gwent Council had taken account of the ecological report and “all material considerations”, and added the UK Government’s Solar Photovoltaic Strategy was not a planning policy document and not required.

A spokesman for Blaenau Gwent Council said: “The council is pleased that the High Court agrees with its decision to grant planning permission for the solar park at Hafod Y Dafal Farm. 

“The recent hearing confirms that the council met its legal obligations in respect of the application and has done nothing unlawful in granting planning permission taking into account the interests of all parties and the ecological reports presented.”

KCS Asset Management were also approached for comment.