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’.”
