Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors T R Ashton, P Ashleigh-Morris, I D Carrington, A H Hall and R P H Reid.

Councillor T J N Smith requested that it was noted that in relation to agenda item 5.1, he worked for Sir Edward Leigh MP, but he had not discussed the application with him, but was aware that it was a topic of interest.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 September 2023 be signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to it being noted that Councillor C L E Vernon was in attendance as an observer via Microsoft Teams.

A report was received which invited the Committee to consider a review of the existing 60mph speed limit along a section of the A15 (Harmston Crossroads to Green Man Road) shown at Appendix A to the report.  Investigations had indicated that a reduction in speed limit at this location may be considered as a borderline case, as defined within the Council’s Speed Limit Policy.

The Programme Leader – Traffic introduced the report and shared a presentation which detailed the area under consideration.

Councillor M J Hill OBE, Leader of the Council, addressed the Committee and made the following points:

·       He was not a local member, but he knew the road very well.

·       There was an issue with people travelling east to west.

·       There were a lot of tractors that used this road and most of the working day there was queueing traffic, and the average speed would be around 40mph.

·       Most local people believed that 50mph would be a reasonable compromise

·       There was a need to take into account accidents and the severity of those accidents.

A representation had also been received from Councillor R A Wright which referenced that the A15 was an arterial route through Lincolnshire.

It was highlighted that this was being presented as a borderline case, there was not a proposal from the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership (LRSP) that a 40mph speed limit should be introduced.  Members were able to consider and set a higher speed limit if necessary.  This would still need to go out to full public consultation and come back to the Planning and Regulation Committee for decision.

During discussion of the report, the following points were noted:

·       There was surprise that a 40mph limit was proposed as it did not seem in keeping with the area.  It was noted that the A607 had the same accident rate.

·       There was a need for the limit to make sense to local residents if it was to be enforceable.

·       The junction needed to be looked at to see if there was anything more that could be done to improve safety in that area.

·       There was support for a 50mph limit on this road.

·       It was felt that a 40mph limit was too excessive a decision to make.  There were concerns that if a 40mph limit was introduced drivers would find alternative routes which were quicker, which could then lead to problems elsewhere.

On a motion by Councillor I G Fleetwood, seconded by Councillor T J N Smith, it was:

RESOLVED (7 in favour, 3 against)

That the decision be deferred and officers re-examine the data and determine suitable options for this road.

A report was received which invited the Committee to consider objections to a proposal to amend the list of streets associated with Lincoln permit parking zones 5B, 5C and 5D to include sections of the High Street and Canwick Road.

The Programme Leader – Traffic introduced the report and shared a presentation which detailed the areas under consideration.

There was support for this proposal, and it was noted that these schemes had transformed the area.

On a motion proposed by Councillor I G Fleetwood, seconded by Councillor P A Skinner it was:

RESOLVED (unanimous)

That the objections be overruled so that the amendment to the Order, as advertised, may be introduced.

Consideration was given to a report which outlined an application by Cottam Solar seeking an unrestricted duration Development Consent Order (DCO) for the construction, operation and maintenance of an energy solar park covering four separate land parcels covering approximately 2,800 acres (1,150 ha) that would produce 600 MW of energy that would be transferred to Cottam Sub Station via underground cable, roughly situated in a linear form between the A631 and A1500 in West Lindsey.  The Council was required to provide its comments on this application to the Examining Authority who would, following a six month examination, make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero as to whether the Development Consent Order shoul be granted or not.

The Council was required to engage in the process by proving confirmation of its views on the proposal and the report set out the matters the Council was required to comment on including consideration of the Council’s Local Impact Report.

The Head of Planning introduced the report and advised that the Review of Soils and Agricultural Land Classification report had been circulated to the Committee that morning, as it was not available when the papers were circulated.

It was highlighted that there were a number of NSIP’s which had been received  for Lincolnshire, but they were all at different stages of the DCO process, but they would eventually all come before the Planning and Regulation Committee.

The positive impacts highlighted within the report included the production of clean and sustainable energy and a significant biodiversity net gain.  Negative impacts included the landscape and visual impact, concerns about impacts on Public Rights of Way (PROW), and any archaeological remains which may be affected.

Eve Browning, Project Development Manager, Island Green Power, spoke on behalf of the applicant and made the following points:

·       Over the last 2 and a half years the project team of Cottam Solar Project have built a good relationship with Lincolnshire County Council and its officers and gratitude was expressed for this.  the regular meetings held with the Council were informative and productive and had helped to shape the application.

·       From October 2024, Great Britain would no long use coal to generate electricity, and it was known that the demand for electricity continued to increase and that the UK faced some of the highest electricity costs in Europe.  There was a clear need for renewable, affordable and reliable energy.  The de-commissioning of the coal-fired Cottam power station, where this development would connect to the national grid presents a great opportunity to repower the region with clean, green energy.

·       The Cottom Solar Project was being developed by Island Green Power who were a leading international developer of renewable projects, committed to responsible land use and who believe that large scale solar developments could be achieved in harmony with their surroundings.

·       As the meeting was aware, there were a number of large scale NSIPs proposed for Lincolnshire, but the focus for today was the Cottam Solar Project.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

Consideration was given to a report which set out an application by Ecotricity (Heck Fen Solar) Limited for a Development Consent Order (DCO) for Ground Mounted Solar Panels, Energy Storage Facility, Below Ground Grid Connection to, and extension at, Bicker Fen Substation and all associated infrastructure works at Heckington Fen.

The Applications Manager introduced the report and advised that the examination on this project had already commenced, with preliminary hearings taking place on 18/19 September 2023.  He advised that the site would cover 644ha, with a 524ha energy park in North Kesteven and the cable corridor extending into Boston Borough.  It was expected that the solar park would produce 400 MW AC energy or 500MW DC to the sub-station.  It was noted that the applicant was seeking a 40-year Development Consent Order for the construction, operation and maintenance of the development.

Laura White from Ecotricity spoke on behalf of the applicant and made the following points:

·       There was a need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and fix the climate crisis.  Ecotricity believed there was another way.

·       Ecotricity had been making and selling only renewable electricity to its customers for over 25 years.

·       This solar park would allow agriculture to continue moving it from arable to pasture whilst making electricity and improving biodiversity. It was a triple winner.

·       A recent consultation from the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan’s Manager was looking for landowners to confirm their interest in offering sites for biodiversity enhancements for 30 years.  This solar park would offer this and more much needed renewable energy towards net zero.

·       This project would contribute over £1million per year in business rates, create over 400 jobs during construction followed by five FTE jobs during the operation, plus an additional seven in the wider community without losing any jobs from farming.  The shepherd would also require personnel. 

·       Once operational it could power up to 100,000 households and avoid the equivalent of 75,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

·       The solar panels had a 30 year warranty and so were expected to last the lifetime of the project.

·       81% of the site was grade 3 agricultural land, grades 1 and 2 were considered the better grades and grades 4 and 5 less so.  Approximately half of the UK’s agricultural land is grade 3, grade 3 was then split into a and b, grade 3a falls into the ‘Best and Most Versatile’ banding, and taking this site, 11% was grade 1, 7% was grade 2 and 81% was grade 3.  Over 450 soil samples had been taken from across the site and from this it was known that 30% was grade 3a and 50% was grade 3b.  so land was 50% not the best and most versatile, and out of the 49%, 30% was in the lowest bracket.

·       As part of this scheme, Ecotricity was committed to agriculture continuing and this would be a legal obligation secured through requirement 8 of the draft Development Consent Order which officers would help shape over the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.