North’s largest solar farm set for West Yorkshire

THE North of England’s largest solar installation is set to be built in West Yorkshire.

Full planning permission is likely to be granted early next week by Leeds City Council for the 32,000 panel, 14-hectare site at Haigh Hall Farm to the south of Leeds, which is to be developed and operated by Leeds-based Oakapple Renewable Energy. 

The solar farm will sit in part on green belt land and will generate 7,200MWh per year, providing enough electricity to power 2,000 homes.  It will also deliver carbon savings of 3.8m kilogrammes of CO2 a year.

Andy Brearley, planning and design manager at Oakapple Renewable Energy, said: “Planning officers at Leeds City Council have been very supportive of this scheme and keen to encourage this kind of development.  This is a good decision for Oakapple and for the region.”

Oakapple Renewable Energy has been supported by Leeds planning consultancy, Turley Associates, in securing this permission.

John Brooks, a director in the Leeds office of Turley Associates, said: “This is a tremendously exciting and important decision for the Yorkshire region and has been welcomed by Leeds City Council. 

“Recent changes to planning policy encourage sustainable energy production and a diversification in the country’s energy supply.  Hopefully, more solar farms and other new energy projects will follow in the North of England.”

Oakapple Renewable Energy’s solar installation at Haigh Hall Farm will use photovoltaic panels that do not require direct sunlight, just natural daylight. They will have limited impact on the local landscape and will be well screened. The photovoltaic panels will sit one metre above the land, allowing the landowner to continue grazing sheep or to create an environment to encourage wildlife.

The Haigh Hall Farm solar array is expected to be operational by spring 2014.