Inquiry to decide farm's future gets under way

A public inquiry has been told that opposition to a planned solar farm was the "biggest ever" challenge to a planning application ever seen in the area.

Harmony Energy appeared before a government planning inspector in Malton earlier to appeal North Yorkshire Council's decision to refuse consent for a solar panel development near the town.

The land is owned by the Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation but leased to tenant farmers Rob and Emma Sturdy, who said they feared the impact on their livelihood if it went ahead.

There have been 500 objections to the scheme, but Harmony said it had listened to local feedback and reduced the size of the solar farm.

Deputy mayor of Malton Lindsay Burr and the former Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Sir Robert Goodwill, were among those to give evidence at the inquiry and both spoke against the plans during the hearing at Ryedale House.

Calling for the appeal to be dismissed and the council's original decision upheld, Ms Burr said: "We had 500 local objectors. Renewables are desirable, but not at any price."

The application for Eden Farm in Old Malton was turned down by council planners in October 2023.

Harmony Energy's legal counsel, Stephanie Hall, told the inquiry that the proposal was "strongly supported by government policy" and was the only solar scheme in the Ryedale area.

She added: "The scheme, as proposed, would mean the loss of only 0.16 hectares of the best agricultural land."

However the Sturdys' barrister, Sioned Davies, responded by quoting prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who told an NFU conference last year that tenant farmers deserved a "fair deal".

Ms Davies said the Sturdys were successful farmers, with above average output, and the case for developing the land they rent was "not sufficiently justified".

She told the inquiry that no sheep could be grazed under the panels, meaning the land could be out of agricultural use for 40 years, the amount of time Harmony has said the solar farm would be operational for.

Eden Farm was managed by Mr Sturdy's grandfather before his father took over in 1971.

Mr Sturdy agreed a three-generation tenancy with the landowners, meaning the farm could, in future, be run by one of his children.

However, he said that if the government inspector ruled in favour of Harmony, it would make farming the remaining land a "complete struggle" as they would not be able to produce enough straw for their livestock.

Sir Robert Goodwill, who retired from politics this year and did not contest the general election in July, quoted Labour's recent manifesto, which stated that the party would ensure local communities benefit from energy production.

He said: "Local people are against this almost unanimously. And there is no suggestion local people would benefit from reduced bills."

Harmony's directors - and experts supporting their case - are expected to give evidence to the public inquiry later this week.

They previously told the BBC that they had reduced the amount of high-grade land included in the proposal and that the solar panels could power 8,000 homes.

Their reason for choosing the site on Eden Farm was because the infrastructure needed to be "as close as possible to the point of connection".

Members of the public are able to attend the proceedings at the North Yorkshire Council chambers in Malton.