Residents rally against huge solar farm near Doncaster as consultation set to be held

Plans have been drawn up to create Whitestone Solar Farm between Doncaster and Rotherham near to Conisbrough – but locals opposed to the scheme have set up a protest group ahead of the meeting in the town on January 13.

The group, Save Our Greenbelt said: "This development represents not only a direct threat to our heritage but also a substantial loss of our green belt.

“Your voices are crucial in understanding the collective sentiment surrounding this critical issue.

“Together, we can advocate for the preservation of our cultural and natural landscapes.

“We invite you to express your views on the industrialisation of our historic Conisbrough parks, which include the significant Anglo-Saxon hunting grounds. We encourage you to grasp the full implications of this project and its potential impact on our community, environment, and history.”

The farm, one of the biggest in the UK, would be built on land previously earmarked for shelved transport project HS2, with a number of sites in South Yorkshire under consideration.

If approved, it could generate up to 750MW of energy, dwarfing the county’s current largest solar farm Richmond, North Yorkshire, which has the capacity to produce up to 55 MW and would provide power to thousands of homes.

If it is consented, it would take two to three years to build Whitestone, potentially beginning in 2027 and completing around 2029.

Developers Green Nation have extended the deadline for people to share their views until January 31, by completing a feedback form online at www.whitestonesolarfarm.co.uk, emailing [email protected].

A spokesperson said: “Whitestone is a proposed solar farm with associated battery storage that would be located in South Yorkshire between Rotherham and Doncaster and connect into the National Grid at Brinsworth Substation.

We published our early plans for Whitestone in November last year, as part of a public consultation. We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to attend one of our events in the local area over the last few weeks and to respond to the consultation.

The public consultation will take place on 13 January at the Lord Conyers Hotel between 3-7pm.