Second solar farm plan unveiled in South Stainley

Developers are consulting on proposals for another solar farm in South Stainley 

Infraland Ltd and Boultbee Brooks Renewable Energy Ltd have unveiled plans for a farm on 19 hectares of land between South Stainley and Wormald Green.

The proposals would see photovoltaic panels laid out in rows running east to west on the site. The plan has yet to be submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

According to the plans, the site would generate 10 megawatts of power which would be able to power up to 3,000 homes.

The developer said in its proposal:

“The solar panels will be fixed on a pile-driven metal mounting frame securely fixed to the ground with posts. The height of the panels will be at a maximum of 3.087 meters from ground level.

“The panels will be installed at around 25 degrees from the horizontal, around 5.0m apart and would be fixed in that orientation.”

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LanPro, planning agent for the developers, is holding a consultation on the proposal online until October 24. Residents can give their views on the plan here.

Meanwhile, South Stainley with Clayton parish is set to host a meeting on November 1 to discuss how to respond to the solar farm.

It follows Harrogate Borough Council approving a similar development in the village in August.

Elgin Energy were given permission to build a 200-acre solar farm, despite concerns from villagers about the loss of green fields and agricultural land.

Harrogate district to get solar farm powering 15,000 homes

Harrogate councillors have today backed plans to build a large solar farm between Harrogate and Ripon.

The proposal, submitted by Elgin Energy EsCo Limited, would see Cayton Solar Farm built near the village of South Stainley.

The company says the site could generate 50 megawatts of electricity during peak operation and potentially power 15,000 homes in Harrogate with green energy. It will operate for 30 years.

A report before today’s planning committee said the farm, which will take up the equivalent size of 150 football pitches, would bring “significant renewable energy benefits” to the district and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A total of 58 people wrote to the council to object to the application but 85 people wrote supporting it.

Councillors on Harrogate Borough Council voted unanimously to defer the plan to officers for approval at a planning committee meeting today.

Global warming

Cllr Pat Marsh, member of the planning committee, said:

“I can see the concerns of those who live close by, if it gets its permission. But, if you go down the A30 into Cornwall, there are solar panels all the way down virtually. It’s there and it exists.

“If you go into the centre of Spain, coming down the mountains into the very middle of Spain there are huge solar farms. I do not hear anybody shouting and screaming and the reason is because we have seen the impact of global warming.

“For once this district is becoming proactive.”

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Andrew Mott, agent for the developer, told the committee:

“Considerable care has been taken in the design of the development to ensure that the environmental considerations are protected and biodiversity promoted.

“There are economic benefits in terms of employment opportunities during the construction and operation phases of the proposal. There is approximately £120,000 per year in business rates.”

Sterile landscape fears

Residents that oppose the application are upset about the loss of green fields and agricultural land.

In its submission the council, South Stainley Parish Council objected to the perceived negative impact on the environment. It said:

“The area would become sterilised from an agricultural, environmental and recreational point of view.

“While maintenance staff in white transit vans will prosper, what happens to the farm workers and rural lifestyles which depend on local agriculture?”

Parish council fears 200-acre Harrogate district solar farm will ‘sterilise’ landscape

A parish council has criticised proposals for a 200-acre solar farm near South Stainley, saying it will cause “long-term harm” to the agriculture industry and “sterilise” the rural landscape.

Elgin Energy EsCo Limited is behind plans to create Cayton Solar Farm near the village, which is between Harrogate and Ripon. The company says the site could generate 50 megawatts of electricity during peak operation and potentially power 15,000 homes in Harrogate with green energy.

Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee will decide whether to approve the solar farm on Tuesday. A council report recommends it defers the application to the council’s executive officer for development management for approval subject to a biodiversity management plan.

The report says the farm, which would take up the equivalent size of 150 football pitches, would bring “significant renewable energy benefits” to the district and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Local opposition to the solar farm has been building since plans were submitted in 2019, with many residents upset over the loss of green fields and agricultural land.

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The council’s report categorises the agricultural land it would be built on as class 3b quality, which the government defines as “moderate quality” but still able to produce high yields of grass for grazing throughout the year.

Elgin Energy has said it will retain the agricultural use of the land in the form of sheep grazing.

There have been 85 comments in favour of the solar farm and 58 against it.

South Stainley Parish Council objected to the perceived negative impact on the environment. Its submission to the council says:

“The area would become sterilised from an agricultural, environmental and recreational point of view.

“While maintenance staff in white transit vans will prosper, what happens to the farm workers and rural lifestyles which depend on local agriculture?”.

Local environmental charity Zero Carbon Harrogate submitted its comments in support of the application.

“We believe that this application supports the objectives of the Harrogate Climate Coalition ‘to champion carbon reduction throughout the Harrogate district, helping the district achieve net-zero emissions’.”

200 acre solar farm could be built near Burton Leonard

Proposals to build a major solar farm near Burton Leonard have been lodged with Harrogate Borough Council.

Harmony Energy Limited wants to build the renewable energy infrastructure on farming fields on land to the east of the village of Wormald Green and to the southwest of Bishop Monkton.

The company has requested the council undertakes an environmental scoping study that looks at the possible effects of the solar farm on the environment.

This would take place before any formal planning application is submitted.

The solar panels are expected to have a lifespan of 40 years.

The site would cover 200 acres of agricultural land.

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Two other plans for major solar farms in the Harrogate district have emerged over the past few months.

Yorkshire Water, which is the second-largest landowner in the county, plans to develop energy at 150 of its sites, including one in Spofforth and another in Bilton, as part of its ambition to become carbon net-zero by 2030.

However, the proposed five-acre solar panel farm in Harrogate attracted concern from the aviation industry who claimed that it could dazzle pilots flying to and from Leeds Bradford Airport.