Plans for the Peartree Hill Solar Farm, an expansive installation proposed to be constructed on an area larger than Monaco and Gibraltar combined, have sparked significant debate during an unusual council meeting. Set to generate 320MW of power—enough to supply 136,000 homes—the project includes a battery energy storage system and is located near Beverley, East Riding.
During the planning committee meeting, council members questioned the necessity of discussing the plans, given that the approval process lies with the government’s Planning Inspectorate due to the site exceeding the 50MW threshold for nationally significant infrastructure. Councillor Denis Healy, leader of the Liberal Democrats, expressed frustration, suggesting the council’s involvement seemed superfluous, as they would ultimately be powerless to influence the outcome of the project.
Healy’s concerns were echoed by Labour councillor David Nolan, who criticized the nomenclature of the site as misleadingly pastoral, arguing instead that it would transform the landscape with “a monstrous mega sprawl of industrial panels.” Nolan emphasized the responsibility of elected officials to represent community interests in significant planning issues, asserting that the scale of this project warranted local input.
Conservative councillor Michael Lee characterized the meeting as the most atypical planning assembly he had attended, noting the council’s lack of authority in determining the project’s fate. Ultimately, the committee voted to submit a report to the Secretary of State, expressing opposition to the plans should they possess decision-making power. As the debate unfolds, the community remains concerned over the implications of such a large-scale operation on their local environment.
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