Agenda and draft minutes

There were no items on the agenda to warrant exclusion of the press and public.

There were no matters of urgency for consideration.

There were no Declarations of Interest to report.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Planning Regulatory Board held on Thursday, 25^th June, 2026, be approved as a correct record of the meeting and signed by the Chair.

There were no site visits or deferments recommended.

Resolved:-  (1)  That, on the development proposals now considered, the requisite notices be issued and be made available on the Council’s website and that the time limits specified in Sections 91 and 92 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 apply.

In accordance with the right to speak procedure the following people attended the meeting and spoke about the applications below:-

-             Erection of a new 400kV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation including gantries, internal access roads, a GIS building, parking, drainage, emergency diesel generator, lighting and CCTV, permanent access road from Long Lane, earthworks, landscaping and biodiversity enhancement, and fencing and the permanent realignment of Whiston Footpath 10 at land at Long Lane Whiston for National Grid Electricity Transmission Plc (RB2025/1468)

Mr. J. Leeming (Applicant)

Mr. S. Oxer (Objector)

Ms. M. Bancroft (Objector)

Mr. S. Tingle (Objector)

Mr. R. Croxton - Treeton Parish Council (Objector)

        A statements was also read out on behalf of:-

Mr. N. Eastwood (Objector)

-             Installation of steel roller shutter doors, galvanised steel palisade fence and gates, and replacement roof at Rear of 94 to 100 Melton High Street West Melton for A&J Real Estate 2021 Limited (RB2026/0241)

Mr. J. Greaves (Objector)

Mr. M. Chambers (Objector)

-             Demolition of existing dwelling and garage, and erection of 5 residential dwellings at 13 Quarry Lane North Anston for Eton Home Developments Ltd. (RB2026/0371)

Mr. M. Woodhead (Agent)

Ms. D. Broad (Objector)

Ms. S. Thackery (Objector)

-             Construction of 4 apartments over existing buildings with rooms in roofspace, balconies to front and stairs and access balcony to rear, conversion of laundrette to cycle/bin store and erection of 2.1m high fence at 41 Worksop Road Swallownest for Mr. S. Pryor (RB2026/0480)

Mr. M. Edgar (on behalf of the Applicant)

        A statements was also read out on behalf of:-

Ms. G. Brammer (Objector)

(2)  That in relation to application RB2025/1468:-

(a)  That the Council enter into a legal agreement with the developer under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for the purposes of securing the following:-

·         £24,954 towards Biodiversity Net Gain Monitoring over a period of thirty years.

(b)  subject to the satisfactory signing of the agreement application RB2025/1468 be granted for the reasons adopted by Members at the meeting and subject to the relevant conditions listed in the submitted report.

(3) That application RB2026/0241 be granted for the reasons adopted by Members at the meeting, subject to the relevant conditions listed in the submitted report and subject to the addition of a further condition requiring improvements to the structural appearance of the development, the details of which shall be delegated to, and agreed by the Chair and Vice-Chair. Such improvements shall be implemented within one month of the date of the decision.

(4)  That applications RB2026/0371 and RB2026/0480 be granted for the reasons adopted by Members at the meeting and subject to the relevant conditions listed in the submitted report. 

Further to Minute No. 45 of the meeting of the Planning Board held on 27^th November, 2025 and Minute No. 67 of the meeting of the Planning Board held on 19^th March, 2026, consideration was given to the report of the Service Director of Planning, Regeneration and  Transportation Service and several slides presented by officers which outlined the latest update on the Whitestone Solar Farm proposal being progressed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), requiring a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Secretary of State under the Planning Act 2008 rather than determination by the Council.

The Planning Board were advised that at the time the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) sought the Council’s views, comments were requested solely on the adequacy of the applicant’s pre-application consultation. The Council’s review concluded that, although the applicant had undertaken a programme of engagement with statutory consultees and the local community in line with its Statement of Community Consultation significant concerns had been raised by Parish Councils and local residents regarding the quality and effectiveness of the engagement. The Council had also raised concerns about potential failures to serve Section 42 notices on some affected landowners. Despite these issues, the Planning Inspectorate concluded that the statutory consultation requirements had been met, and consequently the Planning Inspectorate accepted the application on 3rd July 2026.

The application had now entered the pre-examination stage, which was expected to run until October 2026 with interested parties being required to register with the Planning Inspectorate by 27 August 2026 to participate in the examination process.  It was emphasised that only those who register by this date would be able to participate in the examination process and submit written representations.

During the pre-examination stage, the Council would prepare key documents, including the Local Impact Report and Statement of Common Ground, supported by technical and legal advisers, and would continue engagement with the applicant, statutory consultees, local communities and other stakeholders.

Whitestone Solar was also undertaking further engagement activity during this period, including a webinar on 20 July 2026 and community support sessions on 21 July 2026 to assist residents with registering as Interested Parties.

The formal examination stage was expected to run from October 2026 to April 2027, involving written submissions and a programme of hearings, including issue-specific, open floor and compulsory acquisition hearings with the Council playing a key role throughout the process.

A recommendation to the Secretary of State was expected following completion of the examination, with a final decision anticipated in Autumn 2027.

In receiving the update, Members expressed disappointment that the Planning Inspectorate had deemed the consultation adequate despite concerns raised by the Council, parish councils and local residents. Officers advised that the Council had submitted parish council representations and highlighted consultation concerns, but the Planning Inspectorate had concluded that the statutory requirements had been met.

Members sought assurance that Rotherham and Doncaster Councils were working together on the Local Impact Report, which officers confirmed would be prepared jointly. Officers noted that separate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

There were no updates to report.