MPs criticise plans for Byers Gill Solar Farm near Darlington

Stretching from Brafferton, off the A167 near Darlington, to the north east of Bishopton, the Byers Gill Solar Farm is set to generate energy for around 70,000 homes.

The six areas outlined for the solar panels are: Brafferton, Hauxley Farm, Byers Gill Wood, Great Stainton, and two near Bishopton. The project will have a lifespan of 40 years, after which the land will be returned to its former state, said the applicant JBM Solar. 

The plans, which were submitted to the Planning Inspectorate last month, were the subject of a Westminster debate last week where Stockton South MP Matt Vickers criticised the developers proposal and called for rural communities to be protected. 

Conservative Vickers told a debate how the proposed site sits within an area where other solar farms have previously been approved, meaning that the cumulative area covered will be almost 2,500 acres. 

He said: “The plethora of solar farms snake through and encircle some of the most beautiful rural villages in the region. The area is inhabited by a rich tapestry of wildlife and biodiversity.

“A 2,500-acre scar on that countryside will undoubtedly affect those animals, their habitat and their food chain, and this resident is rightly devastated. Where now people drive along country roads and look onto beautiful rolling fields, those views will be replaced by miles of 7-foot-high fences to prevent the movements of deer.”

A draft proposal shows the scale of the project (Image: JBM Solar)Residents have shared their huge concerns about the impact that a development of this scale will have on their community since the plans were first revealed in 2022. “An area characterised by rurality, nature and agriculture looks set to become characterised by industry, panels and battery substations”, the Stockton South MP said. 

He added: “Residents understand the need to improve our energy security and the move to renewables, but the sheer cumulative scale of the solar farms densely packed into this small rural community will change it completely.”

Although his constituency does not cover the proposed area, Mr Vickers jointly initiated the debate to highlight the impact it could have on the local area. He told how several residents feel they have been given ‘no voice’ in the planning consultation process and said JBM had “actively stifled it”. 

The impact the solar farm could have on local farming was also raised, with the Tory Mp adding: “Our Great British farmers are the stewards of our countryside, who care for our natural environment and put food on our plates. We must back them, so that they can carry on doing that.”

Amid the concerns, Mr Vickers hopes the government will refuse the plans. “I look forward to this proposal, with its cumulative overwhelmingly negative impact on this community, being roundly rejected,” he concluded. 

The existing view of the site from Great Stainton (Image: JBM Solar)

His comments were backed by Paul Howell MP, whose Sedgefield constituency covers the proposed area. Speaking at the debate, the Conservative said: “It is of real value to our rural communities that their character is maintained. The possibility of more than 2,000 acres being covered in such a small and concentrated area is surely not reasonable. 

“It is important for the long-term resilience and value of our rural communities that they do not effectively turn into large industrial parks destroying our green and pleasant land. I support solar—it is one of the green power sources that we must develop in the right place—but it cannot be at the expense of the rural community’s way of life.”

The solar farm proposal will be determined by the Secretary of State, as it is considered a “nationally significant infrastructure project”, the government said. 

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JBM Solar said it has consulted parish councils, local authorities and communities on the proposals and has listened to their concerns. 

Michael Baker, Project Manager for Byers Gill Solar said: “We understand the significance of Byers Gill Solar Farm and the strength of feeling locally. RWE is committed to robust public engagement across all our projects. We have been proactively engaging with the local community since November 2022, and have made substantial changes and improvements to the scheme based on the feedback received.

“The Government has set a target for 70GW solar by 2035, five times more than currently installed. Large scale solar is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy and quick to install: as the UK’s leading electricity generator, we are excited to bring this project forward to help achieve the UK’s net zero targets and deliver a more sustainable future.”