Appeal launched to pay specialist lawyers in solar farm battle

The Save Our Green Belt Conisbrough Parks group are hoping that experts will help them make a compelling case against the proposal for solar power generation.

But they need to raise cash to pay the bills and are hoping donations will reach £3,000, through a GoFundMe page, which has now been launched.

Whitestone solar farm would occupy land known as Conisbrough Parks, an area of special landscape value, which the protest group say was hunting grounds for Conisbrough Castle, and which has been undeveloped for centuries.

It is bounded by communities including Conisbrough, Clifton, Micklebring, Firsby, Ravenfield and Hooton Roberts.

They argue the land, which is largely agricultural, is used by both locals and visitors for recreation.

The proposed development is so large, it is expected a decision on whether it can proceed will be made at Government level, rather than the conventional planning process, which rests with local councils.

Protestors say they support the use of solar energy, but with panels mounted on rooftops or brownfield sites, rather than taking up land in the Green Belt.

If it goes ahead, the Whitestone development could take up as much as 3,500 acres of open ground.

The proposals are linked to another planning application, which would see a battery storage unit - to capture electricity which would be fed into the national grid when needed - created alongside a sub-station in Rotherham.

That is also facing objections.

Organisations behind solar farms argue they are needed to help meet the country’s energy needs, without adding to pollution as gas powered fire stations do.

The Government has a target of reaching ‘net zero’, where the country no longer produces excess carbon dioxide emissions, by 2050.

Campaign group spokesman Terry Huggett said hundreds of pounds had been donated on the day the page went live, which was a promising start.

"We are fortunate in having many professionals from different backgrounds which relate to what we are doing,” he said.

But the group acknowledged they would have to call in outside legal experts, which would be expensive.

Donations can be made to appeal at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-our-greenbelt-conisbrough-parks?cdn-cache=0