Plans for solar farm near Beverley revealed

Plans have been revealed for a solar farm in East Yorkshire that could generate green power for 100,000 homes.

Renewable energy firm Orsted said Kingfisher Solar Farm, on land three miles (5km) north of Beverley, would have a capacity of 320 megawatts and would provide clean energy for up to 60 years.

If granted consent, the project, east of the A164, is anticipated to be generating electricity by the end of 2030.

Residents are being invited to share their views through a series of consultation events being held in February and March.

Tenant farmers previously told BBC Look North they could be facing eviction to make way for the large solar farm.

At least eight farms that lease land from The Dalton Estate, north of Beverley, had been notified of the proposals, with the estate confirming it had been approached by a renewable energy company.

George McManus is from the Fields of Glass campaign group which is opposing plans for Peartree Hill solar farm, a separate project in East Yorkshire.

He said: "These are massive swathes of land that are going to be taken over for solar farms.

"It's going to have a massive impact on the character of East Riding right across the county."

He added: "We accept solar will be part of the mix and there are alternatives with smaller developments.

"This is the industrialisation of the East Riding that's going on here."

Randall Linfoot, Orsted's programme manager for Kingfisher, said: "Kingfisher Solar Farm will provide green energy for around 100,000 British households, making a significant contribution toward meeting the country's ambitious plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"We will also be delivering real benefits for the communities we are working in if the project is approved, including increasing wildlife and habitat areas around our solar array, and having a community benefit fund that will deliver lasting, tangible benefits for local people."

Mr Linfoot said the company "looks forward to sharing more details on our proposals with local residents" and will "ensure their views are heard".

The consultation events will be held at:

Lockington Village Hall, Chapel Street, Lockington, Driffield on 10 February from 15:00 to 20:00 GMT

Hutton Cranswick WI Hall, Main Street, Hutton Cranswick, Driffield on 12 February from 15:00 to 20:00

Cottingham Civic Hall, Market Green, Cottingham on 28 February from 15:00 to 20:00

Beverley Memorial Hall, 73-75 Lairgate, Beverley on 1 March from 12:00 to 17:00

This is the latest application for a large-scale solar farm in East Yorkshire, where several are already proposed or being built.

The Government is squarely behind solar energy.

The technology is seen as one of the ways in which the UK can wean itself off fossil fuels, but generate thousands of "green" jobs.

Opposition to these projects is growing, particularly in rural England.

There are concerns about their cumulative impact on the countryside, the impact on biodiversity and loss of valuable farmland.

Many of these projects are so big and so significant to the UK's energy security that they are decided by ministers in Whitehall and not local councils, and this is another cause for grievance for some communities.

Arguments continue to made about using car parks, housing estates and industrial buildings instead of fields to host solar energy projects.

But the view from the renewable energy sector is that these are not binary choices - that a range of settings for solar should be used if the UK is to decarbonise its energy system fully in the decades ahead.

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