THE Forest Council is facing a legal bill for almost £140,000 after missing the deadline to decide a planning application for a solar farm in Awre.

Applicants EnergyMyWay (UK) has written to the council seeking a £138,074 planning fee refund after the planning committee failed to make a decision within the 26 week period.

The council says revised details, submitted by the applicant throughout the process, delayed the decision as it needed further consultation and an addition to the environmental statement.

During last Thursday’s full council meeting (February 25) it was decided that, by way of regulation where an application is not determined within the 26 week period, the applicant is entitled to their fee refund.

The plans for a 49.9 megawatt solar farm on the Awre Peninsula were submitted originally to the council in May 2015, on June 5 the council validated the application but in January it was refused by the planning committee.

A spokesperson for the Forest of Dean District Council said: "We have instructed our internal auditors to undertake a review of the matter and determine whether any further action is necessary. Their findings will be reported back to us in due course."

The legal bill comes as the Forest Council’s planning department is to be reviewed following a motion which was passed at full council last October.

The planning services will undergo a four-day review, known as a ‘peer challenge’, this month by the Local Government Association and the Planning Advisory Service (PAS).

The team will assess how well the authority is delivering its overall priorities and how both officers and members are managing the planning development process.

Leader of the council Cllr Patrick Molyneux (Con, Hewelsfield and Woolaston) said: "We welcome this peer challenge review and we hope the results will help us to continue to improve and deliver our planning service effectively in the future."

The results will be presented to full council on April 14 2016.