Hundreds sign petition against Knaresborough solar farm plan

Plans to create a large solar farm and lithium battery storage plant on fields near Knaresborough have been opposed by hundreds of people, a campaign group said.

Developer Boom Power has lodged an application with North Yorkshire Council to build the plant on 226 acres (91 hectares) of agricultural farmland between Scotton and Brearton.

Campaigners from Stop Scotton Solar Farm said they collected more than 600 signatures on a petition urging the council to refuse planning permission over concerns the scheme would “irreversibly affect the local landscape and communities”.

Boom Power said the development was suitable for the site and would deliver “significant environmental benefits”.

A council spokesperson said all views submitted would “be taken into account by the planning committee”.

Boom Power said the proposed development would generate up to 49.9 MW of low-carbon electricity over a 40-year period and had the potential to generate enough electricity to power more than 13,000 homes each year.

The firm said plans also included fencing, security system, cabling access and landscaping.

A planning statement written by the company said there was an “urgent requirement” for the project, which was “entirely suitable to the site and its surroundings” and would deliver “significant environmental benefits”.

At the end of the scheme’s 40-year lifespan the solar panels and other infrastructure “would be removed and the site restored to agricultural use”, plans stated.

However, the Stop Scotton Solar Farm group said opposition to the scheme had “gained substantial momentum across affected communities in the wider area, including Lingerfield, Brearton, Scriven, and Farnham”.

Campaigners said they had recently delivered a “final batch” of objection letters to North Yorkshire Council challenging proposals by the developer to build the facility.

Richard Tallis, chair of the action group, said: “While we recognise the need for renewable energy sources, this should never come at the expense of community safety and wellbeing.”

He said the development was “wholly inappropriate” for a rural setting.

Mr Tallis said Boom Power had “severely underestimated” the impact the project would have on highway safety, environmental, ecological and heritage matters, as well as “the well-being of residents in the village and surrounding communities”.

A spokesperson for Boom Power said the company “recognised the concerns” raised by the campaign group and the wider community and “takes them seriously”.

They said: “We have incorporated community feedback into the design and will continue to work to ensure the project is appropriate for the area.

“All community feedback and environmental considerations will be fully assessed before any decision is made.”

A North Yorkshire Council spokesperson said: “A petition hasn’t been formally submitted, but we wouldn’t provide a comment on anything that is a live planning application.

“All views and opinions that have been submitted to us in relation to the application will be taken into account by the planning committee.”