Hambleton Council urged to turn down huge solar farm plans

Council planners are recommending proposals for a 200-acre solar farm in North Yorkshire be turned down.

Lightrock Power and Econergy want to build the farm near Husthwaite to provide power for about 10,146 homes.

They said the development was designed to minimise visual impact. Historic England and the Campaign for Rural England are among the objectors.

Planning officers said the scheme's benefits do not outweigh its impact on heritage assets and conservation areas.

The site for the proposed solar farm is close to the North York Moors National Park and the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), as well as a number of village conservation areas.

The firm's application states the development has been designed to minimise visual impact on the landscapes overlooked by the national park and AONB, and the impact on heritage assets.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, it adds: "The development will make a substantial contribution to the overall supply of affordable low-carbon renewable energy."

It said the scale of the proposal has also been reduced after concerns about its impact, but Woolpots Solar Farm would still generate 45,000 MWh of electricity each year, enough to supply a third of homes in the Hambleton area.

Some residents of nearby villages have backed the scheme, saying it would "help to eliminate carbon emissions and reduce the price of electricity generation".

However, the majority of responses to the application are objections.

Historic England said the revised scheme would create an unacceptable amount of harm to heritage assets and village conservation areas.

The scheme would also represent a significant loss of top-quality farmland, according to the Campaign for Rural England.

The national park authority and the Howardian Hills AONB have also said the farm would represent an "incongruous large-scale development in a rural landscape".

The Civil Aviation Authority has expressed concern about the impact on aircraft safety in the area due to glare from the solar panels.

Hambleton Council will consider the application on Thursday.

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