Land North West Of High Middlefield Farm Durham Road Thorpe Thewles TS21 3LT Data via plota.co.uk

26/0635/VARY - Variation of a condition Approved

Proposal

Section 73 application to vary conditions no2 (Approved Plans), no12 (Flood Risk Assessment), no13 (Construction Traffic Management Plan) and no18 (Cessation of Use) of planning approval - Installation of a ground mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generation system (Solar Farm), co-located battery storage, 132kV substation, associated equipment and infrastructure Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked 24 Aug 2026, 08:55

Application progress

✓

Received

27 Mar 2026

✓

Validated

31 Mar 2026

✓

Consultation

1 Apr 2026

✓

Approved

3 Jul 2026

Approved on 3 Jul 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 5 Jul 2026

Documents 18

Statements & assessments 3

PDF DRAINAGE AREA PLAN Drawing · 30 Mar 2026 View ↗ PDF PLANNING STATEMENT Report · 27 Mar 2026 View ↗ PDF DRAINAGE TECHNICAL NOTE Report · 27 Mar 2026 View ↗

Plans & drawings 11

Application forms 1

PDF APPLICATIONFORMREDACTED Application Form · 30 Mar 2026 View ↗

Consultation & comments 1

PDF ADMIN - SUMMARY SHEET Neighbour Notification List · 1 Apr 2026 View ↗

Associated applications 4

Part of

FullApproved28 Apr 2021council archive

Conditions 2, 12, 13, 18 varied
- VariationSection 73 application to vary conditions no2 (Approved Plans), no12 (Flood Risk Assessment)…This application31 Mar 202626/0635/VARY
VariationApproved19 Jun 2025council archive
- Show 1 more · 1 approved
  - FullEngineering operations including the installation of underground electricity cables…22 Apr 202626/0778/FUL

Site constraints 4

Nutrient neutrality catchment: Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast SPA/Ramsar

New homes and overnight accommodation must show nutrient neutrality before approval.

Natural England advice: extra wastewater in these catchments harms protected habitats, so schemes must offset their nutrient load, usually through credits.

Agricultural land, grade 3a

Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.

Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.

Radon affected area, class 5

An estimated 10 to 30% of homes reach the radon action level. Indicative for the 1 km square, which takes the highest class found in it; a radon test gives the answer for a building.

From the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency indicative atlas. Under building regulations, as the BRE guide BR 211 (2023) sets out, new buildings and extensions need basic radon protection from class 3 in England and Wales and from class 2 in Scotland, and full protection from class 5. The class at the site itself, from the detailed BGS map, decides which.

UKHSA radon ↗

National infrastructure project about 719 m away: Byers Gill Solar

The site is about 719 m from the project boundary. Generating station, decided. The project page says whether consent was granted. Also within 2 km: East Coast Hydrogen Teesside Pipeline (at pre-application, about 161 m).

Nationally significant infrastructure projects (power stations, electricity lines, pipelines, major roads and railways, harbours, airports and reservoirs) are consented by a Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008, after an examination by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than by the council. The boundary is the one the Inspectorate consults on and can change as the scheme does. Projects are shown within 2 km of the site.

Planning Inspectorate project page ↗

Not affected

Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Planning Inspectorate, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council: Stockton-on-Tees
Application type: Variation of a condition
Postcode: TS21 3LT
Received: 27 Mar 2026
Validated: 31 Mar 2026
Ward: Northern Parishes
Parish: Grindon & Thorpe Thewles Parish Council
Case officer: Show
Target decision: 30 Jun 2026
Decision: Approved with Conditions
Decision date: 3 Jul 2026
Decision level: Delegated Decision
Applicant: Show
Agent: Starlight Energy UK Limited

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference: PP-14751027
Planning Portal ref: PP-14751027
Neighbours: 1 Apr 2026
Consultation: 1 Apr 2026
Comments by: 30 Apr 2026
Site or press notice: 9 Apr 2026
Statutory expiry: 30 Jun 2026
Env. assessment: No

Historical activity at this location

5 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2025 Approved

Information to discharge condition no4 (Gas Pipeline) of planning approval 20/2692/FUL…

25/1772/DCH 10 Sep 2025

2024 Approved

Information to discharge condition no4 (Gas Pipeline) of planning approval 20/2692/FUL…

24/0449/DCH 19 Apr 2024

2023 Approved

Information to discharge conditions no5 (Soft Landscaping) and no6 (Soft Landscape Manage…

23/0608/DCH 3 Apr 2023

2020 Approved

Installation of a ground mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generation system (Solar…

20/2692/FUL 28 Apr 2021

2020 Approved

Screening opinion request for solar installation, battery storage facility, substation an…

20/2523/SCO 30 Nov 2020

Stockton-on-Tees

Planning Authority Score

5.8/10

Average

#112 of 296 councils

Relevant to this application:

Householder decisions

Stockton-on-Tees ranks #180 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 97% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils

97% approved vs 90% nationally

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance

Stockton-on-Tees decision statistics

Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026

93%

Overall approval rate

Above avg (87%) #67 of 296

97%

Householder approved

Above avg (90%) #44 of 296

61%

Decided in 8 weeks

Below avg (63%) #180 of 296

40%

Extended time limit

Below avg (41%) #155 of 296

79%

Minor dwellings approved

19 decided (1-9 homes)

82%

Major dwellings approved

11 decided (10+ homes)

86%

Change of use approved

44 decided

612

Total decisions

41 refused in the year to March 2026