Councillors and MPs from across Rotherham and Doncaster remain unsatisfied after the developers of Whitestone Solar Farm reduced the overall size of the project by 17 per cent after two public consultations.

Whitestone Solar Farm will be one of the largest in the UK if it is granted planning permission by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The applications are yet to be submitted, as Whitestone Net Zero Ltd has carried out extensive consultation to develop its plans before going for a decision.

Whitestone revealed in March 2026 it had reduced the overall size of the project by 17 per cent, compared to the original proposals, following its second public consultation in Autumn 2025.

Proposals for the Whitestone site near Conisbrough, Doncaster, have undergone significant changes since the first proposals. | Whitestone Solar Farm

placeholder image — Proposals for the Whitestone site near Conisbrough, Doncaster, have undergone significant changes since the first proposals. | Whitestone Solar Farm

This includes a 37 per cent reduction in the size of the developable areas within the project.

In a newsletter published on the Whitestone Solar Farm website, the developers said they had held eight in-person information events attended by 718 members of the local community.

“We also met with parish councils and other elected officials to understand the views of the community”, it read.

Councillor Rachel Reed has supported residents in opposing the solar farm since being elected. | Doncaster Council

However, elected representatives of communities close to the three proposed sites have said not enough has been done.

Councillor Rachel Reed, who represents Conisbrough in Doncaster for Reform UK, said: “Whilst any reduction in the proposed Whitestone Solar Farm is welcome, a development of more than 1,100 hectares is still an enormous industrialisation of our countryside.

“Local residents have made their concerns clear through thousands of consultation responses. As a Reform UK councillor, I will continue to oppose proposals of this scale and stand up for the views of the community.”

The proposals for Whitestone 2 in Rotherham have seen changes since the first plans. | Whitestone Solar Farm

Similarly, Jake Richards MP, who was elected to represent Rother Valley in 2024, said “some acute needs had been met”, but added: “It’s not close to being enough.”

In a statement on social media, Mr Richards said: “Too many problems remain. Many residents are rightly worried about the impact on our countryside, local infrastructure and long-term implications for the area. We want to protect as much of our green space as possible – for today, and future generations.

“This is not the end of the process by any means. The fight has just begun.”

Jake Richards is Labour's MP for Rother Valley

John Healey MP, who represents Rawmarsh and Conisbrough, has flown to Cyprus in his capacity as the Secretary of State for Defence, after an RAF base on the Mediterranean island was attacked by a drone, following strikes by Israel and the United States of America on Iran.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has contacted Mr Healey’s office for comment on the new Whitestone masterplan on his return to the UK.

Whitestone Solar Farm has been a controversial proposal for many months and has garnered official opposition from both the City of Doncaster Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

Whitestone 3 has seen considerable changes. | Whitestone Solar Farm

Both authorities passed motions in their council chambers opposing the plans. Doncaster Council had also previously passed a motion, with cross-party support, opposing the development of solar farms on green belt land, stating a preference for brownfield land or rooftops.

Developers of the solar farm said the sites had been selected due to their proximity to Brinsworth substation, which would connect the solar farm to the National Grid and avoid high quality agricultural land.

The project is being developed by Green Nation and Net Zero One who say it would make a significant contribution to national energy goals to reduce energy costs, create energy security and fight against climate change.

Katie White MP, climate minister in the DESNZ, previously told the LDRS the UK was going through an energy “transition”.

Speaking after an appearance at the Great Northern Conference in November 2025, White told the LDRS: “As you know, it’s a planning decision and I have to be really careful. I’m not allowed to talk about planning decisions, we have to take that issue very seriously.

“What I will say is the price of solar has come down massively and I want us in Britain to be able to take advantage of that.”

She added: “We always want to make projects work as well as they can locally, but we are going through a transition.

“I think it’s also part of our job to explain what that transition is for, and what the opportunities are, and how to do that, whether it’s around pricing or whether it’s around working people.”