City of York Council has approved plans submitted by Solar2, a UK independently owned specialist renewable energy developer, for a solar farm on land to the south of Low Moor Lane south east of Hessay and north of Rufforth.
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The site is on more than 60 hectares of farmland in the green belt west of York and could supply 50MW of power, enough to serve up to 13,000 homes.
The land is currently a mix of arable and cattle pasture of low and medium quality, according to a report put before the council’s planning committee.
City of York Council has approved plans submitted by Solar2, a UK independently owned specialist renewable energy developer, for a solar farm on land to the south of Low Moor Lane south east of Hessay village and north of Rufforth village.
Richard Morgan, head of Solar at Solar2, said: “We’re thrilled that the Council has approved plans for the solar farm and we’d like to thank the local community and stakeholders for taking the time to engage with us throughout the design and planning process to aid in the design of plans that respond to concerns and minimise potential impacts.
“Now planning permission has been secured, we are looking forward to working with our development partners, the relevant local parish councils and the local community to discuss the Community Benefit Fund.”
The plans say that PV (photovoltaic) arrays at the site will be on lightweight frames 3.2-4.8m apart and surrounded by a 2.6m mesh fence. If approved, they would be up for 40 years before decommissioning.
A report from council officers noted that Hessay Parish Council opposed the planned scheme due to the noise pollution it would cause during its eight months of construction, the harm to aviation safety at nearby Rufforth airfield from glint and glare, and harm to the character of the green belt and the local landscape.
The countryside charity, CPRE, also opposed the scheme on landscape and green belt grounds.
Similarly, 28 letters of objection raised concerns over the landscape and green belt, plus the loss of food production, along with fears over aviation safety.
Council planners noted the site had no special designations and was not really visible from a distance but the scheme would create “significant harm to landscape character”.
The project website will be updated as the project progresses: www.hessaysolarfarm.co.uk
