People considering a planning application often want to see how a similar proposal has been handled. The case study below is taken from the official decision notice and officer report for a solar array at Irwin’s Mills, near Dungannon, where NI Planning Permission Ltd was the planning agent.
Further examples of countryside homes, extensions and change of use will be added as they are written up.
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Case study: solar array at Irwin’s Mills, Dungannon
In 2024, Mid Ulster District Council granted planning permission for a solar array and associated infrastructure on land beside Stillago Mills, Dungannon, BT70 1LF, to serve the existing mill complex at Irwin’s Mills.
NI Planning Permission Ltd was the planning agent. The application was made under the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. The council’s reference is LA09/2024/0586/F. The decision notice is dated 9 December 2024 and was issued on 12 December 2024. Permission was granted subject to conditions.
What was approved
The approved development is a solar array and associated infrastructure, including:
- ground-mounted solar PV panels on support frames, arranged in ten rows in the field east of the mill, for the existing mill complex
- an electrical transformer
- a battery energy storage system (BESS) and BESS control room
- use of the existing mill access
- ancillary site works
The approved plans are numbered 01, 02 Rev 1, 03 Rev 1, 04 and 05 Rev 1. The array is associated with the mill and is intended to serve its energy needs. The official documents do not state a generating capacity, a cost or a predicted saving, and none is given here.
The site and the planning policy
The site is described as lands adjacent to Stillago Mills, Dungannon. It is an agricultural field with a flat topography, reached through the existing yard. The officer report records that the site is in the countryside, about 1.37 kilometres south of the settlement limit of Eglish, as defined in the Dungannon and South Tyrone Area Plan 2010. It is not within any plan zoning or designation, and it is not in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or other designated landscape.
Because the site is in the countryside, the officer applied PPS 21 policy CTY 1, which treats renewable energy as an acceptable form of development where it accords with PPS 18. The proposal was assessed against PPS 18 policy RE 1 and paragraph 6.224 of the Strategic Planning Policy Statement: that there should be no unacceptable adverse impact on safety and amenity, visual amenity and landscape character, biodiversity or heritage, natural resources, or public access. The Mid Ulster draft Plan Strategy was treated as a material consideration but, the officer recorded, did not carry determining weight.
How the application was assessed
Press advertisement and neighbour notification were carried out. No third-party representations were received.
On landscape and visual amenity, the officer noted limited critical views heading north from Eglish, and longer views on the straight road to the south, but was content that, sited beside the mill’s large sheds, the array would not have an unacceptable impact on rural character. The BESS buildings were accepted in the corner of the field beside the existing mill buildings and were not considered prominent.
The officer was content that the panels would not cause an unacceptable loss of amenity through noise, smells, loss of light, privacy or dominance. The report gives the nearest third-party property as about 160 metres from the application site and, in the BESS section, refers to a dwelling about 62 metres to the east at 170 Eglish Road.
A biodiversity checklist and an ecological report were submitted. The officer accepted that the site is not a protected habitat and that no protected species were identified. A watercourse runs along the southern boundary. Conditions require a clearly defined 10-metre construction buffer, as shown in yellow on approved drawing 02 Rev 1 (9 September 2024), and silt fencing along that boundary, to protect the watercourse.
The site is reached through the existing yard. The officer concluded that the panels are on private land and will not affect a public road or right of way.
Part of the field is in an area of surface-water ponding on DfI Rivers maps, but the panels and associated works are not in that area. Because the panels are not buildings and the ground beneath them is to remain in grass, the officer did not require a drainage assessment under PPS 15 policy FLD 3.
A Habitats Regulations Assessment was carried out under Regulation 43(1) of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 (as amended). The officer concluded that there would be no significant effects on European sites, and that any effects could be managed through the normal planning process.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service were consulted on the solar array and the BESS and had no objections. Environmental Health also had no concerns. The officer recommended approval, as the proposal complied with all the criteria in policy RE 1 of PPS 18.
Policy note: this decision was made in December 2024, when PPS 18 was in force. PPS 18 was cancelled on 11 December 2025, and renewable energy proposals are now assessed under the Strategic Planning Policy Statement, Edition 2.
The conditions
The permission is subject to conditions, including:
- The development must be begun within five years of the date of the permission, as required by section 61 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.
- Before development begins, a clearly defined buffer of at least 10 metres must be identified, as shown on approved drawing 02 Rev 1, between construction activities and the southern watercourse.
- Silt fencing must be installed along that boundary, as shown on the same drawing.
Informatives on the notice refer the applicant to consultee advice on the council website and note that the permission does not confer title.
What this means if you have a similar project
Every site is different. This permission does not mean that a solar array, or a battery storage system, will be approved on another piece of land. What it does show is that a carefully prepared application, assessed against the relevant countryside and renewable-energy policies, can be granted for on-site solar serving an existing rural business.
If you are considering a similar project, we can review the planning feasibility of your site and, where it is realistic, prepare the application. Call 028 9591 6888 or use our contact form.
Speak to a planning consultant: call 028 9591 6888, or send an enquiry.
For advice on your own proposal, contact us or call 028 9591 6888. NI Planning Permission Ltd, registered in Northern Ireland, company number NI648144.
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