In September 2023, Green Earth Development Group’s (GEDG) applied to Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) for permission to build a solar farm at Wallerscote Lime Beds on Winnington Avenue, Winnington.

However, it says to deliver the project, it would first have to level the site by shipping in 1.38 million cubic metres of unwanted soil from housing development projects by lorry.

GEDG estimates with 222 32-tonne tipper trucks arriving at the site each day, six days a week, the levelling process would take around five years. 

GEDG's planning application claims the soil would bring the added benefit of reducing the amount of river pollution cause by Wallerscote Lime Beds by limiting the amount of rainwater running through them which ends up in the River Weaver.

However, despite the apparent environmental benefits of a new solar farm and reduced water pollution, CWAC refused GEDG planning permission for the solar farm in July 2024. 

The reason it gave was the company ‘did not demonstrate the additional traffic generated by the development could be safely and satisfactorily accommodated within the highway network, or that arrangements could be made to accommodate the additional traffic during construction’.

Unhappy with the outcome, GDEG launched an appeal against CWAC’s decision, which was heard by a government planning inspector, Ben Plenty, at Wyvern House in Winsford on Tuesday, July 1.

The hearing was attended by Simon Towers, co-chairman of GEDG, along with a team of legal and planning experts, and representatives from Infinis, the energy company responsible for the solar farm aspect of the project.  

Defending CWACs decision was its head of planning, Rob Charnley, along with his own team of experts.

The hearing was also attended by interested parties from Little Leigh, Barton, and Marbury Parish Councils, and Northwich Town Council, who all support CWAC’s decision.

The appeal's frame of reference is the potential traffic issues raised by the development, as these are the grounds on which CWAC refused planning permission. 

Addressing the question of more lorries on the road, Lee Kendall, GDEC’s independent highways consultant, accepted the project would see HGV traffic on Winnington Avenue increase by 300 per cent.

He added: “However, overall traffic on Winnington Avenue would increase by just three percent.

“An increase of less than 30 per cents does not usually require further assessment.

“Recent changes in national planning policy mean there will be a lot more developments in and around Northwich.

“This means much more soil is going to be generated and HGV traffic is going to increase regardless.

“This project is a sustainable way of getting rid of it.”

Defending the decision to refuse planning permission on highways grounds, interested parties raised a raft of points including congestion, road safety, harm to buildings through vibrations caused by passing lorries, and potential damage to the swing bridge at Winnington.

The question of how unloading the lorries would be managed without causing congestion on Winnington Avenue, given the single-track road proposed to access the site, was also raised.

Responding to GEDG’s claim it could stagger the arrival of the lorries, CWAC councillor for Winnington and Castle, Arthur Neil, said: “I’m afraid that is just not how the world works.

“Drivers are subject to all sorts of traffic delays and diversions.

“The fact is, the lorries will arrive when they arrive, and they will most likely end up stacked on Winnington Avenue.

“This is unthinkable, given the issues it already has.

“Whatever scheduling measures you put in place, you are not going to solve this problem.

“It will not affect what actually happens in real life.”

Mr Plenty also inquired into the suggested environmental benefits of the project.  

A publication date for his decision has not yet been set.