Jake Richards MP for Rother Valley

Whitestone Solar Farm

For the attention of Whitestone

WHITESTONE SOLAR FARM DEVELOPMENT – FIRST CONSULTATION
Feedback from Jake Richards, Member of Parliament for Rother Valley –
January 2025

As the Member of Parliament for the Rother Valley constituency I have received a lot of
comment and concern from my constituents about this proposal. I have held numerous
meetings across the constituency and published an online survey. This is an ongoing
process and I am determined to represent the views of my constituents to the developer and, as and when the application is made, to the decision-maker.

The main concern is the sheer scale of this proposal, covering some 3,500 acres of
agricultural land in the Green Belt. The development of a 750 MW solar farm will be by far the largest in the country and its impact on the rural parts of my constituency will be vast. It will fundamentally change the character of this largely arable farmland – land which is required, by planning policy, to be kept permanently open, to one of an industrial nature. It is my view that, before the next formal stage of this planning process the following is necessary:

  • It should be significantly scaled back especially in the more sensitive areas close to the village boundaries of Brampton, Ulley, Upper Whiston, Harthill and Woodall and around individual houses that are currently proposed to be surrounded by solar panels.

  • Access for construction vehicles needs to be carefully considered and away from any routes regularly used by walkers and cyclists.
  • Visual impact must be mitigated by significant boundary tree buffers around each site.
  • Battery storage systems and transformers must be sited well away from residential areas and ensure the visual and noise impact is minimised – and health and safety concerns are taken into account.

  • All public footpaths must be maintained and not confined to narrow corridors between rows of solar panels. Additional permissive footpaths should also be provided where there are existing paths used by walkers which are not defined as public rights of way.
  • The Government’s Action Plan for Clean Energy recognises the vital importance of restoring our nature depleted country and states that we should therefore ensure delivery of our climate and nature targets wherever possible in an integrated and joined up way. It is recognised that solar farms can bring significant biodiversity net gains way above the 10% statutory minimum. All of the sites must therefore be developed in such a way that new and diverse habitats are created including new woodland, retention and enhancement of all hedgerows, and wildflower meadows created. There will also be opportunities for areas with poor drainage to create ponds and wetland areas as well as drainage from the solar panels to be via open water swales and balancing ponds, all of which can provide habitats for wildlife.
  • A large part of the site south of Brampton is designated in the Rotherham Local Plan as a non Statutorily Protected Site for nature conservation where it is the policy not normally to permit development. An exception should only be made where the need for the development in that location outweighs both the impact on the site’s intrinsic interest and any broader impacts on the national network of protected sites, and that adequate mitigation and/or compensation measures can be delivered. In view of this the land should be excluded from this development unless the mitigation and compensation measures proposed can ensure its nature conservation value is maintained and enhanced.

  • The Government’s Action Plan makes it clear that those communities that are asked to host energy infrastructure should feel tangible benefits from the role their areas play in building a low cost, clean energy system. It says that ‘Whilst we want to accelerate infrastructure delivery, project developers must be clear that government expects them to continue developing for communities and nature. We are not writing a blank cheque for low quality applications that fail to consider these outcomes’.
  • The Government plans to publish new guidance on voluntary community funds so that communities benefit in a fair way that compensates them for hosting this energy infrastructure. It is therefore clear that, as part of the DCO process, the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State will want evidence of the community gain from this development with information on the mechanism for delivery. It is therefore incumbent on Green Nation to seek views from each community affected by this development of local schemes that can be funded by the developer. This might also include cheaper electricity to those households most directly affected. I hope I can play my role in that consultation process.
  • This development should use local contractors and labour during the construction stage and to train up local people to service this development once operational. Local job creation must be at the heart of this development.
  • In conclusion, I would expect ongoing discussions with myself as a representative of residents’ interests within Rother Valley and trust that the feedback provided above will be fully incorporated into the next formal stage of this development proposal.

Yours sincerely

Jake Richards MP