Solar farm approved despite 'harm' to countryside

East Riding of Yorkshire Council turned down the application for the Carr Farm Solar Farm development in Beverley in December

Plans for a new solar farm have been approved following an appeal despite the Planning Inspectorate acknowledging they would cause harm to the countryside's character.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council turned down the application for the Carr Farm Solar Farm development in Beverley in December.

But the Planning Inspectorate has now approved the proposals for the farm, which will sit for 40 years on land to the south of Tickton and power around 15,000 homes annually.

A decision notice explained the council originally rejected the plans because of concerns about the farm "eroding the intrinsic rural character of the countryside".

"Whilst the benefits of renewable energy provision are given significant weight in the planning balance, it is not considered that this benefit would outweigh the significant cumulative and visual harm to the countryside in this case," the notice added.

But while the inspector recognised that the development would cause harm to the countryside's character, this was seen to be outweighed by the benefits the scheme will deliver, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

George McManus, from the East Riding Against Solar Expansion (ERASE) campaign group, said they were "disappointed" by the decision when other similar appeals for solar farms have been rejected by the Planning Inspectorate.

He said: "We're very disappointed given that the Planning Inspectorate has just refused an appeal on a similar size project at Ashford in Kent. East Stour Solar Farm faced strong opposition to the proposal by EDF, from Ashford Borough Council (ABC).

"The Planning Inspectorate agreed with the council. East Riding Council should now look at the case and see what lessons might be learned.

"The Ashford decision illustrates that this process is not a rubber stamp, as many have suggested."

Plans for the 49.9MW solar farm in Beverley, the site of which comprises over 100 hectares across seven fields of agricultural land, were first submitted to the council in 2022.

The approval comes just days after plans have emerged for another solar farm, this time on land north of Beverley.

Mark Hogan, founder of BOOM Power, said the project "reinforces the importance of renewable energy in meeting the UK's ambitious climate targets, while thoughtfully addressing environmental and community concerns".

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