The huge farm is planned between Doncaster and Rotherham

A Doncaster MP has flagged up his concerns over plans for huge solar farms in South Yorkshire, writing to the chief planning inspector raising issues regarding levels of consultancy around the project, saying that the proposals cover three separate areas, not just one plot.

Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MP John Healey has written to England’s chief planning inspector Rebecca Phillips over the plans for Whitestone Solar Farm between Doncaster and Rotherham.

He wants consultations around the project to be re-run, saying initial consultations were inadeuqate and “fundamentally flawed” - pointing out that three submitted schemes are separate to each other.

Whitestone Solar Farm has submitted its final application to the Planning Inspectorate and the application is currently under review, with a decision is pending on whether it will be accepted for examination.

In his letter, Mr Healey wrote: “I ask you to review the adequacy of the consultation recently conducted by Whitestone on three solar schemes, which I believe has been fundamentally flawed.

“I ask you to examine my case and I encourage you to reject the recently submitted development application and require the company to run a properly designed consultation for each of the three separate solar schemes.

“The sites are geographically separate and miles apart.

“Residents do not experience the same local impacts across these three areas, and no reasonable observer would describe them as one contiguous or coherent site.

“Instead of respecting the different communities and recognising each of the three schemes should be subject to a separate consultation, Whitestone has lumped the schemes together in a single consultation.

“As a result, residents were not given clear information about which part of the scheme affects their own locality.”

More than 10,000 objections have been submitted against the project which would be built on land between Doncaster and Rotherham.

Campaign spokesperson Phillip Knight said: “A united front of residents, campaigners and politicians has emerged across South Yorkshire, with over 10,000 formal objections submitted against Green Nation's proposed Whitestone Solar Farm.

All four local Labour MPs have formally objected to the scheme.

Both Doncaster and Rotherham Councils have passed motions opposing the development.