Say No to Stell Solar Farm

​Here are a few suggested topics - there are many more though!

We are in the process of developing a more detailed list of reasons to object which we will release shortly.  

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Loss of Agricultural Land

• Land will be taken out of arable production and Enviromena may try to argue that sheep can be grazed underneath the panels. 

  • The UK is a net exporter of sheep meat. 

  • The UK is a net importer of cereal crops. 

• The UK's increasing dependence on imported cereals raises serious concerns about food security, especially amid global supply chain uncertainties. 

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Land Suitability 

• On Enviromena's website, under FAQ's 'is the land suitable for energy generation' - they have only said 'they think it is'. They should not be putting forward sites that that they only 'think' are suitable and to our knowledge, they have not used this wording on any of their other solar farm websites. 

• This site is going to have such a huge impact on the local community and should not be sited on good arable land in the open countryside.

 

Visual Impact and Landscape Degradation

• There are many!!

• This large solar installation will dominate the rural landscape. 

• At 2.3 - 3m high, there is no way of seeing over, under or through the panels. The views from the public rights of way will be narrowed and hemmed in. ​

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Impact on Wildlife and Biodiversity

• The area arounds Lords Lane is already home to an abundance of wildlife.

• The local wildlife is extremely likely to be displaced and impacted by the solar farm and increased human presence across the site.

• A study by the University of Bristol found that bats were avoiding solar farms. 

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Glare and Light Pollution

• Solar panels can produce glare that can impact nearby residents, particularly if the installation is close to homes and public rights of way. This can lead to discomfort and a decrease in quality of life for those affected.

 

​Noise During Construction and Maintenance

• The construction phase can bring significant noise, dust, and traffic. Ongoing maintenance will also cause periodic disturbances and the inverters/transformers/ substation are noisy.

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Loss of Local Agricultural Jobs

• Most employment opportunities from solar farms are during the construction phase. Once built, they require minimal staffing, offering little lasting economic benefit to local communities. There is absolutely no guarantee that they will use local labour. 

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Cumulative Impact with Other Renewable Projects

• The sub-station in this area is Leeming Bar. Typically it appears that solar farms try to be within 10km of the substation. This is resulting in an increasing number of solar farm and battery storage facilities around Bedale​

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Crime Linked to Solar Farms

• There is increasing evidence that crime follows solar farms. - click here to read an  an example report from the Police detailing what measures would be required to protect a solar far

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OTHER IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

 

Forced Labour in China

•  Polysilicon is a critcal material in solar panels and is primarily sourced from China, especially in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. As of recent years, over 40-50% of the worlds polysilicon has been produced in Xinjiang. 

• There are serious concerns about Uyghur forced labour in the supply chain.

• GB Energy is no longer allowed to use solar panels linked to forced labour, however, the Government has not banned other private companies from sourcing solar panels from this region.  

  • Alicia Kearns - MP Letter to Secretary of State 

  • BBC News Article - GB Energy to be blocked from using slavery-linked solar

  • U.S Department of Labor  - Against Their Will: The Situation in Xinjiang 

  • BBC News Report - China uses Uyghur forced labour to make solar panels, says report 

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Property Value​

• A study by the London School of Economics Study 2018 examined over 5,000 property transactions near more than 600 solar farms across the UK. The research found that properties located close to large-scale solar developments experienced a significant negative impact on value, ranging between 4% and 6%. 

• The assessment carried out in 2024 by David J Rogers for the Botley West Solar farm is interesting. As an example, by applying a Dutch study to the local context, David estimated that a detached property at a distance of 0.1 kms would lose on average £40,475 in value if the solar farm was approved. 

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Compensation 

• There is absolutely no compensation for anyone impacted financially by the scheme.  

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HGV Movements and Construction Time Period

• Enviromena have not yet confirmed the construction time period for this site or the number of HGV movements required.

• As an example, Enviromena's 22MW solar farm at Tunstall is expected to take 6-9 months for the construction to complete. Stell Solar is nearly 50% larger! ​

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Power Purchase Agreements 

• Enviromena confirmed that they would be signing a Commercial Power Purchase Agreement for this site. Likley to be to a utility firm or a corporate. We risk losing our countryside to 'power' a company that could be miles from this site!! 

• A PPA is a long-term contract between a solar farm (or other energy generator) and a buyer (often a business or utility) who agrees to purchase the electricity generated. The buyer could be miles from the solar farm. 

• Enviromena have a track record for completing PPA's : 

  • The University of Manchester has signed a corporate PPA with Enviromena to buy the electricity from the new Medebridge Solar Farm (Essex). 

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Re-powering

• Re-powering is where the solar developer renews the solar farm to ensure they are maximising their output. 

• Enviromena have a track record of re-powering solar farms.

• For example - Horsacott Solar Farm in Barnstaple had only been operational for 10 years before being repowered by Enviromena.

  • Click here to read Enviromena's report ​​

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DNO Sub-station

• It is noisy and located right next to the public right of way. 

• It is a permanent building. It will not be removed at the end of the 40 years (if the solar farm is removed). When there is a substation on site, who knows what development will follow.

• There is also a customer substation (Enviromena's).