Local Democracy Reporting Service
RWE An MP says he is “disappointed and angry” over a government decision to approve a large, £200m solar farm.
Conservative Matt Vickers, who represents Stockton West, has warned the Byers Gill Solar Farm near Darlington and Stockton will harm the local landscape.
“It will damage our rich tapestry of wildlife and biodiversity and could have a huge impact on our village communities and food security,” Vickers said.
The government said it would reduce bills and provide energy security, while developer RWE said the facility would be removed at the end of its estimated 40-year lifespan.
Vickers previously spoke against the solar farm during a House of Commons debate in 2024, as large swathes of nearby greenbelt land have been obtained by developers for solar farms.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the 180MW farm would be made up of several blocks of development located in Brafferton, Hauxley Farm, Byers Gill Wood, Great Stainton and two near Bishopton.
RWE said the development will cover about 490 hectares (1,211 acres) of land in total.
Speaking after the government’s decision to approved the plans, Vickers said: “Labour is so obsessed with net-zero and solar farms that they’re happy to bulldoze through the views of local residents to push ahead with it.”
He claimed Labour “couldn’t give a damn about the views of local people”.
But the energy consumers minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “Families in the North East have seen their energy bills go through the roof as a result of our exposure to volatile gas prices.
“The only way to make British people better off in the long term is by securing clean, homegrown power that we control.”