New plans submitted for solar farm in Wakefield

The plans are for the construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of a grid-connected solar photovoltaic farm with infrastructure on land at Manor Farm, south of Church Lane and west of Raven Lane, Felkirk.

The solar farm would have an export capacity of up to 30MW of renewable electricity and is proposed for a 40-year period.

A planning statement, in support of the development, said: “The proposed development is a renewable energy generating station comprising ground mounted solar photovoltaic arrays together with ancillary infrastructure and landscaping and biodiversity enhancements on land at Manor Farm.

It said it would: “Make an important contribution towards achieving the net zero obligations and accords with local and national planning policy as a whole."

Construction is estimated to be up to 34 weeks if the plan is approved.

The statement said the development, including the ground fixings, “is fully reversible and all structures can be removed from the site and the land fully returned to sole agricultural use.

"Many of the component parts, including the array framework and silicon in the module panels, can be recycled for other uses.”

A design and access statement said although the immediate character of the site was rural, it did not have a “remote, unspoilt feel”.

It said: “Solar farms require little maintenance, with activity limited to occasional visits to clean, using only distilled water, attend to landscaping, check and test the installation, and to replace any defective components should any equipment fail during the lifetime of the farm.

In April, a separate plan to install a major solar farm across greenbelt land in Wakefield was rejected.

Boom Power applied to install panels across 133 acres of land at Sitlington, which makes up the villages of Middlestown, Overton and Netherton.

Wakefield Council said the development would be “inappropriate” and “harmful” to the rural setting.

The local authority also said the proposal would also have “negative” impacts for residents living in nearby villages.

No public comments have yet been received on the Felkirk plan.