North Yorkshire Council approves solar farm near East Cowton

Members of North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee today (Tuesday. April 14) approved a proposal to build a 19MW solar development on fields near East Cowton, between Northallerton and Darlington.

The development, which includes inverters, transformers, two substations, a control room, a connection to the grid, a deer-proof fence, and CCTV cameras, will be built on 38 hectares of agricultural land.

The meeting heard that ten local residents had submitted objections, with East Cowton Parish Council also opposed to the scheme.

Councillor Elaine Simpson, from the parish council, spoke at the meeting, telling councillors that more work needed to be done to mitigate the impact of the scheme, particularly on endangered and protected species.

The councillor added: “This proposed solar site will sit in the open and green countryside surrounding our village, falling within a valuable green corridor.

“Any development should improve the character of an area and safeguard or improve it. Simply offering screening will not address its impact.

“The developers have not demonstrated very special circumstances in choosing this location.”

An application for a 28MW solar farm to the east of the village was submitted last year, while plans for another solar scheme to the north of the village were approved in 2015.

A statement by Councillor Annabell Wilkinson, division member for the area, was read out at the meeting supporting the parish council’s stance.

She said: “East Cowton has seen a high number of solar planning approvals in recent years.

“The village could become surrounded by solar farms, both historical and those presently under consideration.”

Despite the concerns, members of the committee voted unanimously to approve the application.

Committee member Councillor Caroline Goodrick said there were no reasons not to support the scheme.

However, she added: “I would like to see solar panels off the ground on roofs, on industrial buildings, on schools, on hospitals, wherever we can put them, where we are not affecting our agricultural land, which we need for our food insecurity.

“I am supportive of this, but I think we can do it better.”

The parish council suggested that a bond be taken from the applicant to cover the cost of restoring the site after 40 years, in case the company ceased to exist when it was time to decommission the scheme.

The meeting heard this was not council policy, although it would be raised with officers preparing the new North Yorkshire Local Plan.