Aldington & Mersham Community Shout Out
Aldington & Mersham Community Shout Out
Latest: March 1, 2026
Campaign Paused
Thank you to everyone who has so generously supported our campaign. We have now paused the campaign as we have reached the goal that we set ourselves at the outset.
On Friday, 27th February, we recei…
Read moreWho are AMSG? We are a small group of parishioners working to help our parish councils stand up for our communities.
What are we trying to do? Aldington & Bonnington Parish Council is asking for a Judicial Review of the Decision issued by the Secretary of State for Energy & Net Zero to grant a Development Consent Order for Stonestreet Green Solar. This development will dwarf our village and change the surrounding landscape for ever. We have participated in the process of evaluation of this application, alongside our parish council and elected representatives for four years. The process has let us down. Our concerns for the environment and landscape have been dismissed without proper consideration and so the parish council is requesting a Judicial Review.
Call to action: Challenging the Secretary of State is expensive. This is a David and Goliath fight and the parish council needs money for their legal costs. We need your support: please contribute and share this page now!
What is the next step in the case; Aldington & Bonnington Parish Council currently await a date for an Oral Permission Hearing after which they will be told whether or not the case presented for judicial review of the Development Consent Order given to Evolution Power for the Stonestreet Green Solar farm has merit and can proceed to a full hearing. Parish Council funds are limited
Please help us to protect the countryside we all love.
Thank you for your encouragement and support.
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Aldington & Mersham Support Group
March 1, 2026
Campaign Paused
Thank you to everyone who has so generously supported our campaign. We have now paused the campaign as we have reached the goal that we set ourselves at the outset.
On Friday, 27th February, we received Notice from the High Court.
It confirms our request for an Oral Permission Hearing and says that:
The hearing is to be listed on the first available date after 13 March 2026 with a
time estimate of 2.5 hours, including submissions by the parties and an oral
judgment by the judge.
We have to submit further evidence and a witness statement within the next 7 days.
Hopefully we will soon be told when our Permission Hearing is.
Aldington & Mersham Support Group
Jan. 29, 2026
Legislation changes impact judicial review process
When the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 received Royal Assent and came into force on December 18 2025, it brought changes to the permission stages for NSIP judicial reviews. Where previously, a claimant had ‘three bites of the cherry’ - a paper permission stage, an option to renew to an oral permission hearing and, if unsuccessful, a right of appeal to the Court of Appeal - the new process allows just one attempt rather than three to challenge a development consent decision.
All applications for permission must go straight to an oral hearing. If the High Court deems the case Totally Without Merit, it will not be possible to ask the Court of Appeal to reconsider. To ensure ongoing access to justice, a request to appeal second attempt will be allowed for all other cases.
We currently await a date for our oral hearing.....
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