Blocked solar farm plan to be appealed

A date has been set for a planning inquiry into the refusal of a solar farm in the countryside.

Plans to erect more than 90,000 solar panels near Whittonstall in Northumberland were blocked by Northumberland County Council last August amid concerns of the visual impact of the scheme.

Councillor Colin Horncastle previously said the 110-hectare development, known as the Highfield Energy Park, would be the "wanton destruction of a rural paradise".

Developer Exagen said there was an "urgent need" for renewable energy generation due to climate change and the cost of living crisis. The hearing will be held on 12 May at Dene Park House in Hexham.

The site had been earmarked for approval by county council planning officers, despite more than 140 public objections, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said the solar arrays and the infrastructure and battery storage system, would result in an "unacceptable visual impact" when viewed with the existing Boundary Lane and Kiln Pit Hill wind farms.

It also said the development would impact two designated heritage assets - the Grade I listed Hopper Mausoleum and the Grade II listed Church of St Andrews.

Exagen had said that the development represented "a significant opportunity to deliver clean, domestically sourced renewable electricity and contribute to local, regional and national energy and climate objectives".

It also said the land was "not considered to be a valued landscape".

It argued that the cumulative effects of the development with nearby wind farms had been assessed and did not "give rise to unacceptable harm".

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