Project Updates

Introduction

Our planning application has now been submitted to North Yorkshire Council (NYC) to seek approval for Sutton-on-the-Forest Solar, and will be available on the NYC website in the coming weeks once validated by NYC at https://tinyurl.com/NYCplanning-applications

Feedback from public consultation

We held a public consultation on our proposals from 12 November to 10 December 2024. We’d like to thank all those who came to our consultation event or provided feedback.

Since the consultation closed, we’ve looked carefully at all the feedback received and below is a summary of the most common subjects raised and our response to them. We’ve also provided an update on the next steps for the scheme.

Landscape and visual impact

Comments noted concern about the development’s location, and how it might impact the rural nature of the area and agricultural land. We also received comments expressing concern about the number of similar developments in the area, and the potential for more in the future. It was suggested that solar developments should be built on industrial sites and buildings, instead of on agricultural land.

We have now updated our proposals to remove the south-eastern field, between York Road and Brownmoor Lane, to minimise impacts on nearby homes. The perimeter of the site will receive new species-rich hedgerow planting and enhancement of existing hedgerows to assist with screening.

Included with our planning application is a Landscape and Visual Appraisal, which assesses the potential visual impact on surrounding areas, based on the principle of minimising visual impact as much as possible.

In regard to impacts on agricultural land, our Agricultural Land Classification Report determined that the majority of the land (95.5%) within the site of the Proposed Development is Grade 3b and of moderate quality. Only 4.5% of the land within the Proposed Development site is Grade 3a, or ‘Best and Most Versatile’ agricultural land, as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

An explanation of why the temporary loss of farming land is justified is available in the Planning, Design and Access Statement, which is available to view as part of the planning application.

Central Government is responsible for setting solar generation targets, and both local planning authorities and the National Planning Inspectorate are responsible in ensuring solar developments are located responsibly and in the most appropriate areas. Often this means that locating such developments in some proximity to settlements is unavoidable.

While we agree that buildings and industrial sites should be used to support the provision solar energy, this has to be in addition to larger scale solar developments, and not instead of them. Panels fitted to the rooftops of large buildings or homes would not be able to produce the same amount of electricity with the same efficiency as the Proposed Development. This is because it is inefficient and technically challenging to link together a network of multiple small generators. It would also require these sites to be located in close proximity to grid connections.

Wildlife and the natural environment

We received comments noting concerns about potential impacts on local wildlife and biodiversity, including the loss of habitats and impacts on specific species.

Solar farms have been shown in recent studies to create and improve habitats, improve conditions for wildlife, and enhance biodiversity. In order to achieve this for Sutton-on-the-Forest Solar, the design has been informed by several ecological and environmental assessments including a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA), Arboricultural Impact Assessment (AIA), Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA), Drainage Strategy, Flood Risk Assessment and a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Assessment, as well as targeted species surveys including wintering birds, badger and great crested newt.

The development would include the retention and protection of existing trees within the site, additional trees planted around the perimeter, new species-rich hedgerow planting and enhancement of existing hedgerows, the protection of watercourses and pond habitats, and the planting of wildflower grassland in and around the solar panels. As such, is anticipated that the development would have a beneficial impact on local ecology and biodiversity – our BNG assessment concludes in percentages this translates to over 40% net gain for area habitats, over 30% for hedgerows, and 22% for watercourses (well above our 10% requirement).

Impacts on residents

We received comments noting concerns about potential impacts on nearby residents from traffic through Huby and Sutton-on-the-Forest, and the potential for the site to attract fly-tipping.

During construction there is likely to be more traffic due to materials being delivered to the site, but when the site is operational it will be remotely operated and would only be visited for land management (e.g. ecology), periodic maintenance and inspection purposes. Based on the feedback from the consultation, however, traffic access to the site would be from the A19 only, with no construction traffic directed through Huby and Sutton-on-the-Forest.

In regard to fly-tipping, we anticipate the presence of the 24-hour CCTV and the occasional staff presence would act as a deterrent.

Community benefits

We received many helpful suggestions of how we can contribute positively to the local community. We will be setting up Community Benefit Fund, and these suggestions will be considered further should the scheme receive planning permission.

Viability of the proposals

We received some comments relating to the viability of the proposals, in particular noting concern over the risk of the site flooding and how the solar panels will be able to generate electricity when there is no sun.

We have revised the designs to following the consultation and the Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy has been prepared to support the application, and which demonstrates that the site will not be impacted by flood risk, or impact on flood risk elsewhere. This is available to view as part of our planning application.

The solar development would include a Battery Energy Storage System with a capacity of 10MW, which is designed to store and supply power from peak mid-day generation to be used when demand is highest during early mornings and evenings. This will allow power to be supplied when there is no sun.

Design updates

Following the public consultation and feedback received, we made the following changes to our proposals:

Removal of the south east field (nearest York Road/ the B1363) from the application area following community feedback expressing concern about visual and construction impacts.
Addition of land in the western half of the Proposed Development to compensate for the land lost in the south east field.
Removal of the proposed site access from Brownmoor Lane / Bull Lane / Plainville Lane (central to the site), following community feedback expressing concerns about the high and locally important recreational use of the road (walkers, cyclists, horse-riders), and the vulnerability of Brownmoor Lane / Bull Lane / Plainville Lane to damage by heavy vehicles, bad weather, etc
Addition of the main access from the A19 to the Proposed Development into the planning application boundary, including visibility splays, passing places and an amended / expanded turning in the private road to cater to HGVs.
Relocation of the battery energy storage system and new electrical substation / switchyard due to engineering requirements identified

Next steps

Our planning application has now been submitted to North Yorkshire County Council (NYC) to seek approval for Sutton-on-the-Forest Solar, and will be available on the NYC website in the coming weeks once validated by NYC at: https://tinyurl.com/NYCplanning-applications. A full Statement of Community Involvement is also available at this link.

NYC will then host a statutory consultation, where you will be able to comment further on the proposals directly to the council. The council will then consider any feedback received alongside the planning application to determine whether to approve or refuse it.

If the planning application for the Proposed Development is approved, would look to begin construction as soon as the grid connection date is finalised. The current anticipated date is around May 2026, though the UK is undergoing a Grid Reform process, and this is likely to change. The project’s connection date will be reviewed by the process overseen by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) with support by Ofgem. An update to the connection date is expected in September 2025. In turn, construction would start up to 12 months prior to the revised connection date. We expect construction will take six months.