Well, what a disappointment the Babergh Planning Committee Meeting was on 8th February 2023.
Some interesting discussions were had over: the food vs energy argument; traffic issues in Burstall and whether the highways officer was a better expert on the current situation than a Burstall resident; Hazardous Substances Consent; and decommissioning. It was interesting to note that the representative talked about local benefits, and when pushed on the definition of local said the UK.
In the end Councillors voted 6 for and 5 against the solar proposal. There was an audible ‘ooh’ in the room when the results were announced, so it was very close.
You can watch the full meeting here: https://baberghmidsuffolk.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=150&MId=3467&Ver=4
But that is not the end. It is a cross-boundary application between Babergh and Mid Suffolk. Whilst they share the same administrative services, the Council is still separate, and so they both must vote.
The Babergh meeting threw up some important concerns where Councillors may have been misled, many of which have not been addressed in the Committee Report for the Mid Suffolk Councillors. Some of these concerns are a potential basis for Judicial Review in the courts!
Here at CARE Suffolk we are raising those issues, and have submitted the below letter as evidence to our ongoing objection against this inappropriate proposal.
You can read the letter here, or download it via the link underneath:
The Mid Suffolk Planning Committee Meeting is on Wednesday 15th February 2023 at Endeavour House, Ipswich starting at 9:30am. Members of the public are allowed to spectate and the Council website asks that people arrive after 9am, typically being escorted to the meeting chamber 10 minutes before the start. Alternatively you can watch online here: https://baberghmidsuffolk.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=178&MId=3464&Ver=4.
We just need a majority vote against the proposal!
(We have started talks with legal advisors regarding Judicial Review.)