Response 3979693

Response to request for information

Reference

3979693

Response date

23 April 2026

Request

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

This request relates to energy generation and storage developments in and around Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Sutton Bonington, Kegworth, and surrounding areas influenced by the Ratcliffe-on-Soar grid infrastructure.

Please provide the following information held by the authority, including information obtained via correspondence with third parties such as developers, Distribution Network Operators, or the National Energy System Operator. 

1. Developments and Grid Connection Status. For all battery storage, solar, or hybrid energy projects within the defined area:
   • Project name and site location 
   • Developer / applicant name 
   • Planning application reference and status 
   • Any information held regarding grid connection status, including: 
     • GATE 1 or GATE 2 classification (where referenced in planning or correspondence) 
     • Connection progress, constraints, or dependencies
2. Planning Decisions Influenced by Grid Capacity. Copies of any documents, reports, or correspondence that:
   • Reference grid capacity, availability, or constraints
   • Assess cumulative impact of multiple energy developments
   • Influence planning recommendations or decisions
3. Local Development Orders (LDOs) and Strategic Energy Zones
   • Details of any LDOs or policy frameworks supporting energy developments in this area
   • Any supporting documentation referencing grid infrastructure capacity
4. Correspondence Where such correspondence relates to:
   • • Grid access 
     • Connection queues
     • Infrastructure constraints 
   Please provide copies of communications (including emails, reports, or meeting notes) between the authority and:
   • National Energy System Operator
   • Distribution Network Operators (including National Grid Electricity Distribution)
   • Developers or landowners

If you consider any information exempt please specify the exemption relied upon, provide reasoning for its application and disclose all non-exempt material in redacted form.

Where information relates to environmental matters, the authority should consider its obligations under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. If this request exceeds cost limits, I request that you fulfil your duty under Section 16 to assist in refining the request while preserving its intent.

Response 

Your request was made in the form of 4 questions.

Refusal Notice (with links Information Commissioners Office) - section 21(1) FOIA (and EIR Regulation 6(1)(b). 

The information requested in questions 1, 2 and 3 is already publicly available and therefore exempt from further disclosure.

Advice and Assistance – section 16 FOIA (in relation to questions 1-3)
In accordance with our duty to provide advice and assistance the information requested in questions 1–3 can be accessed as below:

1. The ‘defined area’ has not been defined. However, all information in relation to planning applications for battery storage, solar, or hybrid energy projects are available to view on our website using the Planning Online search function, using the advanced search for feature and keyword field to view the applications which you refer to. Applications Search
2. Planning decisions and applications, including officer reports (either delegated or committee) are available to view on our website using the Planning Online search function, using the advanced search for feature and keyword field to view the applications which you refer to. The officer report and decision notices will be available to view on the documents tab.
3. The Ratcliffe LDO and associated documents are available to view online - https://www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/planning-growth/planning-policy/ratcliffe-local-development-order/

The information requested in question 4 for correspondence is extensive. Your scope of your request is:

4. Correspondence
   Copies of communications (including emails, reports, or meeting notes) between the authority and:

• National Energy System Operator
• Distribution Network Operators (including National Grid Electricity Distribution)
• Developers or landowners

Where such correspondence relates to:

• Grid access
• Connection queues
• Infrastructure constraints

The Council confirms that it is likely that it holds information in these categories, however, the cost of complying with this disclosure request would be unnecessarily burdensome and is likely to exceed the appropriate costs limit of £450. This is calculated on the basis of the number of applications that this could relate to (area not defined), the wide range of possible communication types and quantity of communications that could have occurred within an undefined period. The officer time involved in collating the information and sorting disclosable records, would, in our estimation, far exceed the 18 hours of officer time which is the appropriate limit relevant to the costs of complying with an FOI request.

The Council finds that this part of the request is covered by the exemption in section 12(1) FOIA.

The Council finds that this request is manifestly unreasonable due to the burden on the authority of complying, for the same reasons given above in relation to section 12 FOIA.

The exception at Regulation 12(4)(b) of the EIR, requires the public authority to weigh and assess the public interest arguments for and against complying with the request. The Council has considered the following:

For Disclosure

• Disclosure of the information requested is in line with the Council’s commitment to transparency in the planning process and the formation of planning policy
• There is a general public interest in the Council’s interaction with other agencies
• The support and decision making in the field of energy generation and distribution and in particular new green energy solutions is a priority for the Council and information publication is in line with this.

Against Disclosure

• The degree of officer time spent on complying with this request would be unduly burdensome and excessively costly and represent an unreasonable diversion of resources disrupting the Council’s ability to perform its core functions
• The request is not defined by area or in time leading to the likelihood for further waste in attempting to interpret the request
• The scope of the request in likely to include information which is not disclosable whether this is because it relates to confidential information, inchoate documents, internal communications or other exempt categories. The degree of officer time and the time of the Data Protection Officer and her assistants in establishing parameters for disclosure are considered to be unreasonably burdensome.

On balance, it is considered that the public interest in maintaining the regulation 12(4)(b) EIR exception in relation to question 4 of your request, outweighs the arguments for disclosure and for this reason the information requested will not be disclosed. I am satisfied in all the circumstances that the public interest in maintaining the exception due to the unduly burdensome nature of the request and unreasonable diversion of resources would be required outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information

Advice and Assistance – s16 FOIA (in relation to question 4)

You may wish to submit a fresh FOI request limiting the information requested within tighter parameters. How you achieve this will depend on your own requirements but suggested ways to limit the scope could include:

• The area – you could define with a plan
• Time – limit to the period of your interest
• External Bodies –limit the outside agencies to those within your interest
• Type of communication – limit the subject matter to specific projects within your interest