A proposed solar farm on agricultural land in West Sussex has been blocked after the High Court ruled the original planning approval process was legally flawed.
BNRG Langmead Ltd applied to install solar panels across 49 hectares of farmland in Runcton, near Chichester. Chichester District Council rejected the plans in May 2025, but the Planning Inspectorate overturned the decision on appeal in March.
Photo by Evgeniy Alyoshin / Unsplash
Local resident Mark Linzey later challenged the ruling in the High Court, which has now ordered a statutory review of the decision.
The challenge focused on whether the planning inspector had properly considered the potential impact on water voles linked to work on a nearby culvert. The Planning Inspectorate did not contest the challenge, accepting that the inspector’s approach had resulted in procedural unfairness.
A spokesman for the district council said: ‘After the appeal for the solar farm was allowed, a local resident sought a judicial review of the inspector’s decision on several grounds.
‘The main argument was that the Inspector had failed to appropriately consider the impact of works to a culvert upon water voles.
‘As a result, the Planning Inspectorate (and the other named parties in the action) decided not to defend the challenge and acknowledged that the Inspector’s actions had led to procedural unfairness.’
Mr Linzey is a member of SMART-FFF (South Mundham and Runcton Trustees – Fields For Food), a residents’ group opposing development on high-quality farmland within a designated wildlife corridor.
In a statement, the group said: ‘What happens next is that a new Planning Inspector is expected to be appointed to review the case. We understand that, rather than holding another public hearing, the new decision will instead be based on written submissions.
The council originally refused the application over concerns about the loss of prime agricultural land and the impact on the area’s rural character and landscape.
The High Court has also ordered the government to pay Mr Linzey’s costs, capped at £35,000.
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