Public hearings into Whitestone Solar Farm plans to begin
Green Belt, landscape, agricultural land, wildlife, construction traffic and flood risk are among the issues identified for examination,
Public hearings into plans for the largest solar farm in the UK across three sites in South Yorkshire will begin in Rotherham next month.
Whitestone Net Zero Ltd’s proposals include solar panels, energy storage and an underground connection to the National Grid's Long Lane substation.
The three main sites lie south of Conisbrough, east of Brinsworth, and west and north of Harthill. The boundary of the site covers approximately 1,488 hectares.
Proceedings will begin with a preliminary meeting at New York Stadium at 10am on Tuesday, November 10.
The meeting will focus on how the application should be examined, the timetable of the application, and the issues that the government's planning inspectors intend to explore.
An open floor hearing will follow at 2pm, giving registered speakers an opportunity to put their views directly to the examining inspectors.
Further hearings on environmental matters will begin at 10am on Wednesday November 11 and Thursday, November 12.
Green Belt, landscape, agricultural land, wildlife, construction traffic and flood risk are among the issues identified for examination, alongside battery storage safety and the effects on nearby communities.
The meetings will take place in the stadium's 1925 suite, with remote participation through Microsoft Teams. Members of the public can watch livestreams, and recordings will be published afterwards.
The October 27 deadline to register to speak has passed. Anyone seeking to participate or attend in person who has not registered should contact the Planning Inspectorate’s case team.
The examination will principally consider written evidence, with written representations carrying equal weight to oral contributions.
A draft timetable proposes closing the examination on April 9, 2027. Inspectors will then make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who will decide whether to grant consent.
Further details and livestream links will be available on the Planning Inspectorate’s Whitestone Solar Farm project webpage.