Paragraph 22 Decommissioning and restorationI1

Within 3 months of the date that the undertaker decides to decommission any part of the solar farm works and grid connection works, or no later than 6 months before the 40th anniversary of the date of final commissioning of the first phase of Work No. 1 as notified by the undertaker pursuant to requirement 4 (phasing of the authorised development and date of final commissioning), the undertaker must submit a decommissioning environmental management plan and a decommissioning traffic management plan for that part.

The plans must be submitted to the local planning authority for that part (or both local planning authorities where that part falls within the administrative areas of both South Derbyshire District Council and Derbyshire County Council) for approval.

Decommissioning must commence no later than 40 years following the date of final commissioning of the first phase of Work No. 1.

The undertaker must provide notice to the local planning authority once any part of the authorised development stops generating electricity for more than 6 months. If, by expiry of the period of 12 continuous months beginning with the date of the notice, and unless otherwise agreed in writing by the undertaker and the relevant local planning authority, that part of the authorised development does not re-generate electricity, then within 3 months the undertaker must submit to the local planning authority for that part (or both local planning authorities where that part falls within the administrative areas of both South Derbyshire District Council and Derbyshire County Council) for approval a decommissioning environmental management plan and a decommissioning traffic management plan for that part.

The plans submitted and approved must be substantially in accordance with the relevant part of the outline decommissioning environmental management plan.

The decommissioning environmental management plan submitted and approved must include—

No decommissioning works may be carried out until the local planning authority or both relevant local planning authorities (as applicable) has/have approved the plans submitted in relation to such works in consultation with the Environment Agency and Natural England.

The plans must be implemented as approved, and decommissioning of that part of the authorised development to which a plan relates must be completed within 2 years of such approval, or such other time period as is agreed in writing between the undertaker and the local planning authority.

This requirement is without prejudice to any other consents or permissions which may be required to decommission any part of the authorised development.