Three MPs oppose 3,500-acre solar farm plan

Campaigners have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham

Three MPs have criticised plans for a 3,500-acre solar farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.

The project, named Whitestone Solar Farm, would stretch across a number of separate parcels of land and could power 250,000 homes.

However, local MPs John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards have all raised concerns about the size and location of the scheme.

A spokesperson for Whitestone said the size of the project had already been reduced by a quarter and the solar farm would "support national energy goals".

The proposed land for the solar farm includes farmland near the M18, south of Bramley and Wickersley, as well as large fields on both sides of the M1, south of its junction with the M18.

The project also includes plans for areas around Ulley, Aston and Brampton.

Developers said the sites had been selected due to their proximity to Brinsworth substation, which would connect the solar farm to the national grid.

Whitestone is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project because of the amount of power the scheme could generate.

Developer Green Nation say the site could power 250,000 homes and help meet climate targets

Healey, Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, told project developer Green Nation in a letter that the scheme did not meet his expectations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"In my view, every project must still meet three tests: it must be proportionate, it must be safe, and it must be fair - Whitestone fails all three," he said.

He said it was "the wrong scale of scheme in the wrong place".

A Green Nation spokesperson said: "National Policy Statements make clear the importance of solar farms like this one to support national energy goals, and state that virtually all nationally significant energy infrastructure projects will have adverse effects on the landscape."

MP John Healey said the plans were not proportionate

Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, said: "This is productive agricultural land, which is at a premium in Rotherham, and the loss of such valuable green space will have a serious adverse effect on my constituents."

Richards, Labour MP for Rother Valley, said he supported the government's plan for more renewable energy.

But he criticised the "sheer size of the proposal and the effect on certain communities".

Both also criticised the length of the initial consultation period, which ran from 18 November to 31 January.

A Green Nation spokesperson said the firm was committed to finding out "what is important to people about the local area and seek to protect it".

They said further changes would be made to the plans as a result of an ongoing consultation.

Energy Secretary and Doncaster North MP Ed Miliband is set to make the final decision on the project

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband, who is also MP for Doncaster North, is expected to make the final decision on whether the scheme can go ahead.

A Rotherham Council spokesperson said the authority would feed local evidence and impact assessments into the national examination process.

A consultation on the updated plans for the solar farm closes on 28 October.

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