A legal challenge against the UK’s 500MW Sunnica Energy Farm solar project has been dropped following West Suffolk Council and Cambridgeshire County Council withdrawing from the process.
This led Suffolk County Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council to also abandon their efforts. Suffolk County Council explained that the high cost of legal fees outweighed the potential financial return of a successful challenge, making it unjustifiable to continue using public funds.
The Sunnica Energy Farm, located on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border, is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) because its output exceeds 50MW.
This designation requires a Development Consent Order (DCO) application, which is reviewed by the National Planning Inspectorate, with the final decision made by the Secretary of State, Ed Miliband. Despite delays, Sunnica’s DCO was granted on July 12th, alongside other significant solar projects.
Councillor Richard Rout of Suffolk County Council expressed deep disappointment in the withdrawal of the legal challenge, criticising the government’s approval of the project, which he called an “outrageous decision” against the Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation.
Rout accused the councils of prioritising government interests over those of local communities and taxpayers. East Cambridgeshire District Council’s leader, Anna Bailey, pledged to mitigate the Sunnica development’s impact and support residents.
In a related case, the Cleve Hill Solar Park, also known as Project Fortress, successfully appealed Swale Council’s refusal of its 150MW battery energy storage system (BESS). The appeal determined that the council had acted unreasonably, leading to the project’s approval and requiring the council to cover the developer’s costs.
