A council could look at a judicial review if a solar farm is passed after councillors claimed they had been banned from submitting further representations.
The Tydd Solar Farm, off Guanockgate Road in Sutton St Edmund, was refused by South Holland District Council last year, but developer Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE) has appealed that decision.
The process led to a public hearing being held near Wisbech, but that was stopped halfway through for an environmental statement.
A new consultation process then took place which closed on Friday, July 17, but district councillors say they were told not to add to responses they had already made.
A spokesman for the Planning Inspectorate said the latest consultation was for the environmental statement.
Coun Laura Eldridge brought up the issue at last week’s meeting of South Holland District Council.
She said the authority’s planning officer challenged the government decision but ‘had not received a response’ and asked if the council could appeal through the courts.
“As the local planning authority we have a duty to represent our residents during this process even if the planning inspectorate decided not to take our response into account,” she said. “We have submitted one as it’s important to ensure we’ve fulfilled our responsibility to the community we represent.”
Coun Henry Bingham, the district council’s portfolio holder for place, said: “The way in which the planning inspector has dealt with this is odd to say the least. For the appellant to circulate the information is incredibly odd for an application such as this.
“To then say they’re not going to take on board any comments we put and actually request we don’t put comments in, brings into question whether they have any intention of taking on board anything we’ve said and whether they take our objections seriously.
“We did send in representations anyway because it’s the right thing to do and to represent the residents properly.
“It seems central government are pretending they’re taking on board what residents of South Holland and the rural areas are actually saying.
“To ignore planning in general and just plough ahead at whatever cost is just ridiculous and shows they have little care for any of the rural districts.
“If they do not take into account anything we put forward we will look at whether or not there’s any potential of us being successful with a judicial inquiry.
“We’re not going to waste money unless we believe there’s a way forward with it.”
A spokesman for the Planning Inspecorate said: “Representations were actually sought from the two LPAs involved – Fenland and South Holland – earlier this year before the hearing was delayed due to the need for an environmental statement.
“Now the comments on the environmental statement have been received, the next step is to reschedule the hearing after which the Inspector will issue a decision.”
