Public inquiry over rejected solar farm plan

Plans for the site in Sitlington were turned down by Wakefield Council

A public inquiry is to be held after councillors rejected plans for a solar farm on greenbelt land.

Boom Power applied for permission to install solar panels on 133 acres of land in Sitlington, near Wakefield.

However, the plans were turned down by Wakefield Council in April, with officers describing the scheme as "inappropriate" and "harmful" to the rural setting.

The firm submitted an appeal to the government's planning inspectorate following the rejection and a four-day hearing is due to take place at Wakefield Town Hall in March.

The Save the Sitlington Countryside group was formed by residents in the nearby villages of Middlestown, Overton and Netherton, when details of the project were revealed in 2022.

The group is part of UK Solar Alliance, a body of around 100 organisations opposed to large-scale solar developments on UK farmland.

Opponents said the development would turn one of the most picturesque areas of the city into an "industrial landscape".

More than 550 people objected to the proposals, with 53 in support.

Boom Power had already been given permission by Kirklees Council to build a separate solar farm nearby on 210 acres of land at Flockton.

Residents in the area formed a campaign group to oppose the plans by Boom Power

Wakefield Council said there were concerns about the potential impact on wildlife habitats at the site in Sitlington and that part of the land was designated as a special area of conservation.

A planning officer's report said the scheme would have "significant benefits" in helping to achieve renewable energy targets, however it recommended refusal, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The proposed development would give rise to significant impacts to the landscape, character and visual amenity of the site and surrounding area, which would not be satisfactorily mitigated or outweighed by the proposed benefits of the development," the council planning report said.

A planning statement submitted on behalf of Boom Power said the plans would provide "a clean, renewable and sustainable form of electricity".

"The scheme would contribute to the region's progress in meeting its renewable energy target and would also assist in meeting national targets for both energy supply and low carbon energy development," it said.

A second application by Boom Power to build a solar farm across greenbelt land near to the villages of Woolley and Haigh, close to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, is still under consideration.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.