19 October

Exagen granted planning permission for Warren Wood Energy Park

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Exagen is pleased to announce that the Planning Inspectorate have allowed our appeal for Warren Wood Energy Park, a 25 MW solar farm and 10 MW BESS in Norfolk, and planning permission has now been granted for the project.  … Read more

Exagen is pleased to announce that the Planning Inspectorate have allowed our appeal for Warren Wood Energy Park, a 25 MW solar farm and 10 MW BESS in Norfolk, and planning permission has now been granted for the project.
 
The application was recommended for approval by the planning officer but subsequently refused at Broadland District Council’s Planning Committee in December 2025, citing the loss of best and most versatile (BMV) agricultural land. This decision was overturned last week, following a hearing held in September.
 
In their decision, the Inspector concluded that there was no loss of BMV agricultural land and that agricultural practices could continue on the Site over the course of the operational phase of the Development. The decision notes that a separate site selection exercise is not a requirement when developing on BMV land, but regardless the evidence presented at the hearing strongly suggests that, in this case, it is unlikely that any alternative sites exist that would entirely avoid BMV. It is also positive to see that the new Policy S5 of the recently published NPPF has been referenced in the planning balance, with the Inspector noting that this policy overwhelmingly favours approval in this case, alongside a lack of development plan conflict and the substantial weight afforded to the benefits of renewable energy schemes (as per Policy W3).
 
The scheme supports the transition to Net Zero, making an important contribution to local and national energy targets and provides significant net gains in biodiversity of over 72% in habitat units and 90% in hedgerow units. 

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