Whitestone solar plan slashed - but not far enough, says MP
PLANS for a major solar energy development - covering large tracts of farmland in Rotherham - have been slashed back by more than a third.
The Whitestone proposals covered a site extending across large areas which are currently open land in Rotherham, going as far as Conisbrough.
Widespread opposition to the scheme, which would be in three separate parcels of land, have been widespread with multiple concerns raised by residents in different communities.
Several reviews of the proposals - so big the future of the scheme will be decided by government, rather than local planners as normal - have been conducted.
The latest has scaled back the proposed development area by 37 per cent, bringing a significant victory for campaigners.
Whitestone say the review, which has just been published, is in response to feedback and represents a refinement of their masterplan.
The new proposals include “a reduction of solar areas around homes, villages and public rights of way” they say.
“We have also been able to select the locations of the substations, batteries and cable route corridors to reduce optionality wherever possible.”
Batteries and substations are needed to store power generated in daylight hours, to be fed into the national grid at times of high demand.
‘Green’ energy is seen as the future of power by the government, but Rother Valley MP Jake Richards insists the changes are not enough.
“Regardless of party politics, this is a project that will harm our area - and I will stand up for what is right,” he said.
Mr Richards said Parliamentary colleague John Healey had also been involved in the opposition, alongside a “powerful response from local residents”.
The reduction in scale, he said, was “welcome, and some acute concerns have been met.
“But it’s not close to being enough.
“Too many problems remain. Many residents are rightly worried about the impact on our countryside, local infrastructure and long-term implications for the area.
“We want to protect as much of our green space as possible - for today, and future generations.”
He is now planning more meetings with residents in his constituency, to plan their next steps, promising “a formidable campaign”, which he plans to lead.