Consultation to end on bid to turn former coal mine into solar farm

A solar plan is once again proposed for fields near Chesterfield

A consultation is set to end over Derbyshire County Council plans to transform a former coal mine into a solar farm.

Williamthorpe Colliery near Chesterfield operated from 1905 until it closed in 1970.

The land today is a nature reserve owned by the county council.

A public consultation on the scheme is under way, with the deadline for comments from residents closing on Friday.

Plans were approved in 2015 for solar panels on two fields at the site, off the A617 Mansfield Road in Temple Normanton.

But after the government withdrew money towards renewable energy projects, the scheme never happened and the planning permission lapsed.

Net zero 'journey'

Now a fresh bid for about 14,000 ground-mounted panels and associated infrastructure has been made - similar in scale to the previously-approved plans.

The solar panels could produce about 3m kWh of electricity each year, according to the council.

Carolyn Renwick, cabinet member for infrastructure and environment, said: "In recent years, the issue of climate change has become increasingly important.

"The need to switch towards renewable energy - away from fossil fuels - is a necessary part of the UK strategy to reduce carbon emissions and our own journey to becoming a net zero council by 2032 or sooner.

"That's why we're looking to put this former colliery land to good use to generate 'clean' renewable energy to help tackle climate change."

Council planners will decide on the application in due course.