Anesco Ltd v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Anor
Anesco Ltd v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Anor (re Application for Planning Statutory Review) [2025] EWHC 1177 (Admin)
Permission was refused for a solar farm on agricultural land in Norfolk, located adjacent to a conservation area and close to a listed bridge. The inspector recommended approval, but the secretary of state decided otherwise. The application was then refused. An application for statutory review followed on the basis that the secretary of state had failed to take national policy and guidance into consideration. The judge dismissed the statutory review challenge on the basis that the secretary of state’s reasoning as a whole considered national policy and guidance.
This article originally appeared in the Institute of Historic Building Conservation’s (IHBC’s) Context 184, published in September 2025. It was written by Alexandra Fairclough, a member of the IHBC law panel and a barrister (non-practising). She teaches heritage law at Manchester School of Architecture, and is principal built heritage and design officer at Bolton Council.
--Institute of Historic Building Conservation
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