Newark and Sherwood District Council will not pursue a judicial review of the Government’s decision to approve the controversial One Earth Solar Farm after receiving specialist legal advice.
The council said advice obtained twice from an expert barrister found there were insufficient grounds to mount a successful legal challenge against the decision.
Development consent for the solar farm was granted by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 8 July, despite the Examining Authority having recommended that the project should be refused.
The 740MW development, planned across about 1,619 hectares of land in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, will include solar panels, battery storage and associated infrastructure. It will connect to the electricity network at High Marnham.
Developers Perigus Energy and PS Renewables say the scheme could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 200,000 homes annually.
Because of its scale, One Earth was classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and decided nationally rather than by local planning authorities.
Newark and Sherwood District Council opposed the plans during the examination process, raising concerns about their effects on the landscape, historic environment and surrounding communities.
Following the approval, the authority considered whether it could challenge the decision through a judicial review.
The council said there was no conventional right of appeal and that a judicial review could consider only whether the Secretary of State’s decision was made lawfully. It would not reconsider the planning merits of the development.
Further work was undertaken on issues raised at a full council meeting, with specialist legal advice sought on two occasions.
A council spokesperson said: “Newark and Sherwood District Council remains deeply disappointed by the Secretary of State’s decision to grant development consent for the One Earth Solar Farm, particularly given that the Examining Authority recommended refusal following its thorough and detailed examination of the application.
“The advice is that there are insufficient grounds to successfully launch a legal challenge.
“This will be bitterly disappointing news for the whole community and, from the outset, it has felt almost impossible for us to have any meaningful influence on the One Earth Solar Farm decision.”
The council urged the Secretary of State to listen to affected communities and review the consent, saying local voices and the Examining Authority’s conclusions should be heard.
It added that it would remain involved in the process to ensure the conditions attached to the Development Consent Order were properly considered and the effects on communities addressed as far as possible.
The developers have said they will now begin work to discharge the requirements attached to the consent. Construction is expected to begin in late 2027.
