Massive County Durham solar farm project gets green light again after legal issue
The new solar farm will be built on around 282 acres of land at Hett, near Spennymoor and will help around 14,400 homes during its lifetime, the developer says
by Bill Edgar · ChronicleLiveCounty Durham is set to welcome a new solar farm after plans were given the green light for a second time, following a legal issue. The solar development will sprawl across approximately 282 acres of land at Hett, near Spennymoor.
Lightsource bp's proposal initially received approval from Durham County Council’s planning committee in May 2024, but was revisited due to claims that the output capacity of the development was misrepresented.
During a planning meeting on Wednesday, residents voiced their concerns about the large-scale site. Barbara Marinan, who has lived in Hett for 48 years, expressed her reservations: "I consider myself an environmentalist – a supporter of renewables and solar power – but only when approached sensibly. This project is not sensible. "
She added: "If completed, 282 acres of productive arable land will no longer be used for food production. The more monstrous projects allowed the more we become dependent on other nations for our food."
Ms Marinan found an ally in local county councillor Jan Blakey, who highlighted the potential environmental impact of the solar panels, stating they "will have a big effect on the surrounding area."
Despite these concerns, Lightsource bp maintains that the solar farm will provide energy for around 14,400 homes during its lifetime. Robin Duncan, senior development manager, argued: "The project will provide significant benefits, supporting both Durham’s and the UK’s targets for energy security."
However, Ms Marinan remained sceptical about the project's effectiveness, questioning the region's suitability for solar power: "Around here the sun doesn’t shine enough to provide massive amounts of power. It is not sufficient enough to warrant the destruction of arable land.
"This project has been perceived as an easy way to tick a green box without people understanding the implications. It will ultimately turn out to be an exercise in greenwashing."
Despite these concerns, committee members expressed that they could not see how the application could be refused after its initial approval earlier this year. Councillor David Boyes stated: "This has been passed, so we can’t object to it unless there are material differences.
"We haven’t got a leg to stand on, if we vote against this it’s going to lose at appeal and that’s going to cost the taxpayers of County Durham. I can’t see for the life of me how we can object to this."
In the meantime, councillor Kevin Shaw commented: "We seem to be putting eggs in the pudding after it’s already cooked. I don’t think we’ve got any material reasons to refuse this application. The surge in solar farm planning applications has raised questions about the council’s stance on the number it can handle."
Mike Currah queried: "Does the council have a plan for how many of these developments we want to have in County Durham? It seems a bit of a free market, wild west type of process to getting one of these up and running."
Council officers responded that there currently is no limit but that could be reviewed in the future. For councillor Jonathan Elmer, solar developments are crucial to the future of the region and country.
"Large-scale projects like this one are by far the most effective way of meeting carbon targets," stated the Green party member.
"We need to be on a war footing when it comes to tackling the climate crisis and small-scale projects don’t have the same impact."
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