Residents have criticised a county council for failing to listen to their concerns, as they launch a legal challenge against plans to build a huge solar farm in the County Durham countryside. 

A proposal to build the solar farm by the applicant, Lightsource BP, to the north of Burnhope, near Lanchester, was approved by Durham County Council’s planning committee in March despite hundreds of objections from locals. 

Up to 14 fields will be covered in panels including those surrounding the Chapman’s Well Local Nature Reserve, known as one of the best bird-watching sites in the region. 

But despite a fierce campaign, in which locals described how it would “devastate” the area, councillors said it would help the local authority achieve its net zero targets. 

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The Northern Echo: Campaigners against a proposed solar panel farm near their homes in Burnhope. Left to right: Lorraine Hewitson, Stephen Hewitson, Ian Galloway, Heather Galloway and Richard Davies. Campaigners against a proposed solar panel farm near their homes in Burnhope. Left to right: Lorraine Hewitson, Stephen Hewitson, Ian Galloway, Heather Galloway and Richard Davies. (Image: Chris Booth)

Campaigners say they first heard of the plans earlier this year when leaflets were posted through their doors, but the true scale of the site was underplayed. It was when people looked further into what was proposed, they said, when they realised the impact it would have on the surrounding area. 

Lorraine Hewitson, whose house is close to the site, labelled the county council ‘deceitful’. She added: “They probably thought that nobody in Burnhope would object but we thought ‘no’. When you look at the whole size of it, we knew we had to fight for the village.”

After several rounds of door-knocking in the village, nearly 500 signatures were collected as part of a petition against the solar farm. “We’ve lived here for 23 years now and we don’t want to look outside to huge fences and solar panels,” Lorraine added. 

The Northern Echo: Banners have been erected off Edge Lane, which could become surrounded in solar farmsBanners have been erected off Edge Lane, which could become surrounded in solar farms (Image: The Northern Echo)

Ian Wilkinson says the residents have been let down. “I can understand the landowner making money but the county council has not listened,” he said. “They have just ignored around 500 people’s objections. I am disgusted by the way the meeting was run.”

The lack of footpaths in and around the village sees people walking on the tracks within the nature reserve, but they say the land will soon be blighted by the panels. Another solar farm application is due to be submitted for the other side of Edge Lane, which flanks the proposed site, meaning solar farms could cover up to 400 acres of land in the area. 

Nigel Hall, who lives near the Nature’s Edge facility off Edge Lane, fears the solar farm will create a domino effect. He said: “Labour used to stick up for area’s like this. We have had the pits, the opencast, a tip and now they are dumping this solar farm on people. Lanchester is in for a serious problem.” 

Now, they have launched a legal challenge in a bid to get the decision overturned at a judicial review.

Ian Galloway, who is leading the campaign, said the plans have been changed without proper scrutiny from the council. The campaigners allege the panels changed from 89,860 Longi 540 panels with a 48.5MW DC power output to 110,620 Trina 685 panels at 75.8MW DC. 

“They never counted the panels and they don’t know what panels they’re going to use,” Ian said. “That’s like giving permission for an office block and not knowing how many floors it will have.”

The Northern Echo: Updated plans submitted by Lightsource BP show how the solar farm, near Burnhope, could lookUpdated plans submitted by Lightsource BP show how the solar farm, near Burnhope, could look (Image: Lightsource BP)

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The group says the changes would now possibly invalidate all the reports that were done on the impact of the scheme on wildlife and landscape. Ian added: “This is too big for the council to give planning permission. Councils can only give planning permission for schemes up to a maximum output of 50MW. Therefore it would be illegal to build it.”

The applicant, Lightsource BP, said the solar farm will provide energy to nearly 14,000 homes and, although the site covers 92 hectares in total, only a third – around 32 hectares – of the land will be covered by solar panels. The proposal was backed by 19 letters in support of the scheme.

It added that it could not comment on an active legal case. Helen Bradley, Durham County Council’s head of legal and democratic services, said: “We are aware of this claim for judicial review. It would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time.”