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The Planning Committee considered an application for a solar farm and energy storage facility at Land at Pentre Bach. Officers answered members' questions on ecology, drainage, traffic and visual impact. Members agreed to note the report, and the ward member raised concerns about construction traffic.
1.1 Apologies were sent in via email during the meeting from Cllr Janet Jones who was experiencing IT issues and was unable to join the meeting as planned. 1.2 There were no other apologies.
2.1 The following interests were declared: • Councillor Stuart Ashley declared a personal interest in agenda item 4 as a Member of Cwmbran Community Council who had been consulted on the application. • Councillor Alan Slade declared a personal interest in agenda item 4 as the ward member.
3.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 26th March 2025 were confirmed as a true and accurate record.
4.1 The Principal Planner presented the report to Members in detail and displayed photographs and plans of the site. 4.2 Members asked a number of questions, and the following responses were given by the Principal Planner: • The application was accompanied by an Ecological Assessment which the Council’s Ecologist was looking at. If the application was approved, it would be subject to a number of conditions to ensure that wildlife was protected. • The application would require a Construction Environmental Management Plan to be submitted which would outline how the environment and wildlife would be protected during the construction of the solar farm. • In relation to the dimensions of the solar farm, the lowest part of the solar panel frame would be 0.2m in height, with the maximum height being 2.4m. The face of the solar panels had an area of 3.3m. The gaps between the rows of solar panels varied between 2.4m and 6m. The frame would go into the ground to a maximum depth of 1.5m. The site would be fenced off and the maximum height of the fence would be 2.5m. There was also CCTV proposed within the site which would be situated on a pole of a maximum height of 3m. • In terms of the layout of the site, the Developer had tried to use the existing framework of the hedgerows and the woodland as the buffer and the grass in between was where the solar farm would be located. The Developer had tried to retain the hedgerow network to enable ecological connectivity, however there was a small part of the hedgerow proposed to be removed, but it was proposed to plant additional trees and hedging. The Council’s Landscape Officer and the Council’s Ecologist were reviewing the plans and proposals, and their comments would be included in the Local Impact Report. • If developed the site would be in operation for 40 years and the panels and structures would not be a permanent structure. • There was no reason why livestock could not be put on the site in addition to solar farm which could add to the natural environment. • The Solar Farm would be visible from certain points, but consideration had to be given to the degree of harm it would have visually in the special landscape area. In the report submitted by the Developer it stated that the degree of visual harm was moderate. Officers were carrying out assessments regarding the visual impact. • A Traffic Statement had been submitted with the application which stated that vehicle access to the site would be via Pentre Lane on to the existing private access. The track was 180m long with a minimum width of 4m which they stated was sufficiently wide enough to accommodate HGV’s. • The Developer stated that at the peak of construction there would be 42 vehicles to the site, which equated to 84 vehicle trips and for a 5-day working week would be 17 trips per day in an 8-hour day. The Traffic Statement stated that the worst-case scenario was that all vehicles would arrive and leave in the morning over a four hour period from 8am until 12pm, equating to 8 - 9 vehicles a day which was considered negligible impact on the highway network. If the application was approved and developed there would be less than one vehicle per month attending the site. The Council’s Highways Officer was looking at the plans and proposals and their comments would be submitted in the Local Impact Report. • The Council’s Ecologist was currently reviewing the plans and proposals and would note in her comments whether there would be any amphibians in the area which would be affected by the development. • As part of the submission a Flood Consequence Assessment had been carried out, which also looked at surface water drainage. Mitigations were proposed through pools and ponds and the application would be subject to SAB requirements. One of the requirements was that the water was to stay within the site and drain off via green field run off. The Developer was confident that they could meet the SAB requirements. • As part of the SAB strategy and the drainage strategy there were mitigations proposed in relation to filtration to ensure that any pollutants were maintained. However, the solar panel frames would be designed to weather and would be designed for a 40-year cycle. • A ground contamination study had been undertaken which found no contaminants, however the Council’s Environmental Health Officers would be reviewing that report and submitting comments as part of the Local Impact Report. 4.3 The ward member raised concerns regarding the construction traffic travelling up Newport Road on to Pentre Lane, which was narrow and had no footpaths. There was also a sign which stated that the road was not suitable for HGV’s. He was concerned that HGV’s would not be able to manoeuvre at the junction on Newport Road. The ward members stated that he had raised these issues at the pre-application phase, however none of his concerns had been addressed. 4.4 Members were encouraged to raise any concerns and comments with the Planning Inspector for their consideration when determining the application. 4.5 Members agreed to note the report.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Stuart Ashley: Personal interest on Planning Application - 24/P/0120/DNS / Cais Cynllunio - 24/P/0120/DNS
As a Member of Cwmbran Community Council, which had been consulted on the application.
Alan Slade: Personal interest on Planning Application - 24/P/0120/DNS / Cais Cynllunio - 24/P/0120/DNS
As the ward member.
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