CONTROVERSIAL plans to create a huge solar farm have finally been made public this week almost two years after first being mooted but a local councillor has vowed to join forces with scores of angry residents in order to protect the sprawling open space.
The site which separates Grimethorpe and Cudworth was put forward by clean energy solutions company Enviromena and comprises three land parcels the size of more than 130 football pitches.
The Chronicle can reveal the full details of the plan after Enviromena’s official application was validated by the council’s planning board this week, opening the bid to a public consultation period which runs until February 18.
According to its designers, the first parcel lies north of Ferry Moor Lane, the second is to the west of Engine Lane and the third which is the largest is to the east of Engine Lane.
Although the date in which it will be discussed by the planning board has not been identified, the Chronicle understands it will be decided on by the end of the year however Coun Ashley Peace, who represents the North East ward, has vowed to make residents’ voices heard.
Coun Peace, who is a member of the planning board, made the rare decision to speak out on the matter this week, effectively forfeiting his right to vote on the scheme when the matter is either passed or rejected.
He said: “Grimethorpe has changed significantly over the last 30 years and we all have a responsibility to not only protect what we currently have but strive for even more.
“That responsibility isn’t lost on me I was elected to represent families and that’s what I’ve done for the last two-plus years and what I will continue to do going forward.
“As a member of the council’s planning board I’ve always refrained from making my personal views on this application public and I expected that to remain the case until this was brought to a future planning meeting.
“However, I can’t in good faith stand back and see so much of our green space destroyed and nothing I’ve seen in the application or heard at the consultation events has allayed any of the concerns I have.
“Our village is surrounded by some of the most beautiful green space within the borough, land that is flourishing with an abundance of wildlife and nature.
“This hasn’t happened overnight, in fact it’s taken decades to get to this point.
“I can’t accept that being destroyed.
“Over the last 18 months, residents have expressed their concerns over this proposed application and asked that I support them.
“I was elected to represent the community, therefore I will be supporting residents who are against this application.
“This means I won’t be able to vote at any future planning board meeting on this application but I truly believe this is the right thing to do.
“Our community always comes first.”
Following a public meeting held at St Luke’s Church in Grimethorpe last year, Enviromena vowed to listen to residents’ views and have subsequently reduced the solar farm’s size by 20 per cent but it will still be in situ for 40 years.
Bosses from the firm said it could provide power for up to 25,000 homes per year.
Lee Adams, chief commercial officer, told the Chronicle: “We are aware that there are objectors to our proposals but it’s not to the level that it’s of major concern and, certainly since the early days, there’s a been a big change in opinion.
“We’re wanting to work with the community, not battle against them, and we have listened.
“We’ve got a £100,000 fund available for local projects we’re here to stay and we want to be a part of the area and have already been in touch with local schools and Shafton Parish Council.
“The land is deemed to be of ‘grade four’ standard one of the worst available for farming purposes so while it is a green space currently, it does not yield a prime crop.
“The powerline runs right through the site, which is what the National Grid ideally want in order to avoid digging up roads and causing unnecessary disruption, so for us it’s the ideal area.”
However, campaigner Linda Noble said the reduced size was an insignificant amendment.
“The original proposed site was 217 acres, equivalent to 164 football pitches, but a 20 per cent reduction means it still covers 173 acres,” she added.
“We’ve had a great response from local councillors so we’re aiming to hold a public meeting given the amount of concern there is on what is something that’s visually distressing and could be there for decades.”
