Brentwood Council's planning committee granted permission for a new solar and energy storage park on land at Fitzwalters Farm, Shenfield, at its meeting on July 21. Cllr Philip Mynott, chair of Brentwood Council’s planning committee, said: "This application was considered in detail by the planning committee, with members hearing from local residents, parish councils, and the applicant before reaching a decision. Brentwood and Ongar MP Alex Burghart also wrote at the time that he believes planning authorities should "focus on using previously developed land and non-agricultural land for large-scale solar farm development". However, members of the planning committee concluded that the benefits of renewable energy generation, as well as planned biodiversity enhancements, outweighed the identified harm to the green belt. "The site brings together several important factors that make it well suited for renewable energy development, including a viable grid connection, a supportive landowner and relatively few environmental constraints.