More than 170 local residents have now responded to Graham Stuart’s survey on the proposed Clean Air Solar Farm, with around nine in ten opposing the plans.
The proposed development would cover around 2,500 acres of land near Walkington, Skidby and Little Weighton and could remain in place for up to 60 years.
Many respondents said they support renewable energy in principle, but believe developments on this scale should not come at the expense of productive farmland, rural communities and the character of the East Yorkshire countryside.
One resident told Graham: “Walkington is a farming village, not an industrial energy park.”
Another wrote: “It feels like project after project is being pushed into the same area without anyone looking at the bigger picture.”
A third respondent said: “There has to be some balance and some common sense.”
Residents are also concerned that the area around Beverley and Cottingham is becoming increasingly attractive to energy developers because of the expanded Creyke Beck energy hub and planned grid connections.
They fear this could lead to more large-scale solar proposals being concentrated around the same communities, with local farmland and villages carrying a disproportionate share of the burden.
The concerns have led to the formation of the Skidby, Little Weighton and Walkington Action Group, which has begun organising residents ahead of the formal planning process.
The group has submitted a series of detailed questions to the developers and East Riding Council and is urging residents to attend the forthcoming public information events in Lockington, Beverley and Walkington.
Graham raised the issue in Parliament this week, where he challenged ministers over the scale of the proposal and the impact of multiple energy developments being concentrated in the same area.
Graham told the House of Commons: “The people of Skidby, Little Weighton and Walkington are not opposed to the clean energy transition, yet almost everyone I’ve spoken to is against the 2,500-acre Clean Air Solar Farm that is swamping that area, in conjunction with other such farms.
“They are against multiple large-scale solar developments industrialising productive farmland, including Grade 2 and 3a land, undermining food security, and permanently altering rural communities.”
Graham said: “The issue people keep raising with me is cumulative impact.
“They are not looking at one project in isolation. They are looking at project after project across the same part of East Yorkshire and asking how much infrastructure one area can reasonably be expected to absorb.
“People support clean energy. What they do not support is being ignored.
“Many residents feel there is something fundamentally wrong with a system that encourages developers to bring forward ever larger schemes, only for decisions to be taken further and further away from the communities most affected.
“The bigger the scheme, the more distant the decision feels.
“People who have built their lives in these villages, worked the land, raised families and contributed to their communities deserve to be heard before decisions are taken that could affect their area for generations.
“Britain needs secure and affordable energy. But the issue is not whether we need clean energy. The issue is whether one part of East Yorkshire should carry a disproportionate share of the burden.
“It is hard to justify covering productive East Yorkshire farmland with vast solar schemes while the Government refuses new North Sea licences during a cost of living crisis.
“My job is to make sure local people are properly heard and that decision-makers understand what these proposals would mean for the communities affected.
“I would encourage everyone with a view on these proposals to attend the forthcoming public information events, ask questions, study the plans carefully and make their views known.”
David Hume, organiser of the Skidby, Little Weighton and Walkington Action Group, said: “The Action Group’s role is to ensure local residents have a clear and organised voice throughout this process. Graham has been helpful in making sure those concerns are being heard, not just locally but in Westminster too.
“Many people feel decisions of this scale can be taken a long way from the communities affected. We welcome Graham’s efforts to ensure local people remain at the centre of the conversation.”
“The most important thing now is that residents attend the consultation events, study the plans carefully and make their views known.”
Developers will be holding public information events at:
• Lockington Village Hall, Chapel Street, Lockington, Driffield YO25 9SN
Monday 22 June, 3pm to 7pm
• Beverley Memorial Hall, 73-75 Lairgate, Beverley HU17 8HN
Tuesday 23 June, 3pm to 7pm
• Walkington Village Hall, 17 East End, Walkington, Beverley HU17 8RX
Wednesday 24 June, 3pm to 7pm
• Online webinar
Monday 29 June, 7pm to 7.30pm
