Ed Miliband is facing a court battle over plans for a huge solar farm which locals warn will destroy the countryside and “prime agricultural land”. The Energy Secretary gave plans for Helios Solar Farm, near Selby, North Yorkshire, the green light in December.
The scheme would be among the largest of its kind in the country, covering 1,175 hectares and generating 190MW of energy. But some locals are fundraising to bring a legal challenge to scupper the plans.
Campaign group Halt (Halt All Large Transmission/Solar Farms) is trying to raise enough money to take a case to the High Court before a six-week window closes and a legal challenge can no longer be brought.
So far, about half the £15,000 target has been pledged, with the group reportedly days away from reaching its goal.
Halt’s legal challenge, if it is able to bring it, would centre on whether the plans show regard for the cumulative impact on locals of energy infrastructure.
A separate campaign is opposing plans for another energy scheme, Light Valley Solar, located to the west of Selby, according to the Daily Mail.
Bryan Ward, 40, said locals had already suffered disruption from two separate 50MW solar sites already under construction.
He told The Telegraph: “We have had legal advice on this from a solicitor and we don’t think that they have reviewed the cumulative impact of the project at all.”
Mr Ward said the scheme would knock out “prime agricultural land” which is home to deer, barn owls, bats and birds of prey.
He expressed hope the campaign might stall the project long enough for a new government with different ideas to take over the country, should a legal challenge falter.
Enso Energy, which, along with Cero Generation, submitted the plans, said the site would produce enough power to supply 47,500 homes.
Energy Minister Martin McCluskey said families in Yorkshire have seen their energy bills go through the roof as a result of UK exposure to volatile gas prices.
He added: “The only way to make British people better off in the long-term is by securing clean, homegrown power that we control.
“Giving the green light to the Helios Solar Farm is another step forward in our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, creating jobs, driving economic growth and protecting family finances.”
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero doesn’t comment on live planning applications.