High Court quashes consent for Norfolk ‘Vanguard’ wind farm project

High Court quashes consent for Norfolk ‘Vanguard’ wind farm project

In July 2020, the government granted development consent for a Norfolk wind farm project which was to be one of the largest of its kind in the world.

However, Raymond Pearce, a Norfolk resident, has successfully challenged government's decision meaning that the permission for the development has now been overturned. In a High Court judgment handed down on Thursday 18 February 2021, it was held that the government was wrong not to evaluate the 'cumulative impact' of the 'Vanguard' wind farm and another related wind farm project.

Mr Pearce, whose property is within 80m of proposed cables connecting the wind farm to onshore substations in Necton, voiced concerns that the cable routes would have a negative impact on the local environment and that this impact should have been examined in more detail before the development consent was granted.

The High Court did not give any formal directions about how the implication of the judgment should be handled procedurally. However, the government will need to re-determine the application for development consent, taking into account the points raised in the judgment. It will need to consider how the evaluation of 'cumulative impacts' should be approached and to what extent the examination of the Vanguard project needs to be re-opened. Click here for the full BBC article which includes an image of the proposed route.

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*This article is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or other professional advice.