Village 'betrayed' over solar farm approval
SuppliedA village has been "betrayed" by the decision to overturn a planning refusal for a solar farm, a resident has said.
Durham County Council had turned down the proposal for land near Burnhope after hundreds of objections and a High Court appeal, but the Planning Inspectorate overruled the vote last month.
Some residents said they were devastated and stunned, claiming the development would "destroy" the environment. Meanwhile, the Reform-led council said the decision would be raised with the local MP.
Applicant Lightsource bp said the scheme had been "carefully" designed to minimise impacts and there were measures to "enhance" the environment.
"This approval follows a thorough process of detailed site selection, environmental assessments, and design refinement," a spokesperson for the power company said.
"We also engaged with the local community, updating our plans in response to feedback before submitting the application."
LDRSBut Ian Galloway who leads community group Keep it Green, which has been opposing the plans, said curlew breeding sites would be affected.
There are also concerns over the site being the only flat route out of the uphill village.
"That's not green. You're destroying the environment and you're destroying a community to get a little bit of energy on a sunny day," Galloway said.
"They're turning a lovely rural community into an industrial site, it's truly awful."
A Lightsource Bp spokesperson said existing public rights of way and footpaths would be retained with measures put in place to support wildlife.
'Give it a rest'
The site will start about 250 metres away from Ian Wilkinson's home.
He said the house would be "sandwiched" between the Lightsource bp development and another proposed farm across the road from his property.
The 65-year-old received a leaflet about the Lightsource bp facility on the first day of his retirement and said his wife "burst into tears" when she found out about the plans.
Ian Wilkinson"We've spent hours and hours fighting this," Wilkinson said.
"All of that time and effort is part of my retirement, which is what I did not expect, trying to defend my home, the surroundings of my home."
He said the former mining village had been "betrayed" and the planning inspector needed to "drop his head in shame".
"We've gone 150 years producing energy for the country. Just give it a rest for us."
'Entirely unsuitable'
A spokesperson for the Planning Inspectorate said appeals were determined on individual merits.
"When making a decision, the Inspector fully considers the evidence submitted at the appeal and takes account of current planning legislation, policy and guidance.
The plans were initially approved by the council in 2023, but a campaign group won a judicial review of the decision leading to it being quashed by a high court judge.
Lightsource bp resubmitted its application in 2024 and said it had improved landscaping to minimise visual impacts, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Up to 14 fields near Burnhope would be overlaid with panels, including areas near a nature reserve, the plans said.
Local Labour councillor Alison Gray, who had opposed the development, said the site was "entirely unsuitable".
"Once again, Burnhope is being burdened with the negative impacts of the UK's energy demands despite this land having originally been gifted to the village following both deep mining and subsequent opencast operations," she said.
There are still about three weeks left to appeal against the latest ruling, but Durham County Council's Reform leader Andrew Husband said the local authority had been advised a legal challenge would be "unsuccessful".
"As an administration we are very disappointed by the Inspectorate's decision to ignore the concerns of local residents and overturn a decision made by our local Planning Committee, so I will be raising this further with the local MP as this now requires government intervention," he said.
