Solar farm plans for fields by A1(M) submitted

The proposed farm would be built on 80 hectares of land

Plans have been submitted for a large solar farm on fields by the A1(M) in North Yorkshire.

Brompton Solar Ltd has applied for permission to site solar panels on aluminium frames on land either side of the motorway north of Brompton-on-Swale.

The 80-hectare farm would be capable of producing up to 39.3MW of energy, agents for the applicants said.

The developers said the site would operate as a solar farm for 40 years before it reverted to farmland.

Brompton Solar Ltd is a subsidiary of Knaresborough-based Harmony Energy, which oversaw planning for a 55MW solar farm at nearby Skeeby, before selling the scheme to a green energy company for a reported £38m.

The western edge of the proposed solar farm lies close to the edge of the existing Skeeby development, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

'Low-grade land'

Documents submitted with plans stated the panels would have "an anti-glare coating to minimise glint and glare" and the site would have "appropriate set-back distances to the closest residential properties."

They said a consultation had been carried out with the local community to review the plans and give feedback.

"A number of responses to the proposal have been received which, where possible, have been considered further during the evolution of the proposal," they add.

No comments have yet been received by North Yorkshire Council following the submission of the plans.

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