Toby Carvery gets green light for Chester restaurant development

The plans have been rubber-stamped

Plans to install more than 100 solar panels on the pitched roofs of the Toby Carvery restaurant in Chester have been given the go-ahead. The scheme will generate energy to "directly feed" the popular carvery chain's Warrington Road eatery.

A planning application to erect a total of 105 440w panels at the property - which is not listed - had been submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council in October last year. This week, those plans were rubber-stamped.

The design and access statement, put forward on behalf of the business, stated: "Unlike large scale solar grid generation systems, this application is a proposal for a system that will directly feed the applicant’s own business. This project is one of the few practical alternatives there is to help the business to transition to a lower carbon energy use footprint."

In a report recommending approval, council case officer Edward Shepherd said: "In this case the solar panels would represent an addition to the existing building and would not be a disproportionate addition, as such the proposal would not represent inappropriate development within the Green Belt.

"The proposal would provide a significant benefit in introducing low carbon energy generation which if possible, will be incorporated into the grid. It is not considered that there would be any other unacceptable visual, residential impacts or highway safety impacts and the proposal would comply with all other material considerations including requiring a countryside location given they are on the existing building supporting the rural business. As such, the proposal is recommended for approval."

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