Notes from Teams meeting with Environmena and North Yorkshire Local Access Forum members

Attending: Environmena: Mark Harding (MH), Chief Development Officer and 2 other colleagues, Amy Hindson (AH), Stantec (planning consultant)

LAF: Mark Cunliffe-lister (MCL), Lin Ryan (LR), Stephen Clark (SC), John Toogood (JT), (Rachel Connolly was unable to join due to IT problems)

MH explained they operate in the UK and Italy.  They both get permission for solar sites and also operate them, generally under a 40 year lease from the landowner.  Currently they have 2 sites in North Yorkshire, Tunstall and Stell.

SC explained the work LAF do.

Discussed what work is done to improve the biodiversity and look of the solar site to minimise the impact of the site and hopefully improve the experience of those using the existing public access routes.  All sites are now legally required to show minimum of 10% biodiversity improvement on the site.  Achieved by wildflower, hedgerow and tree planting.  They aim to achieve 100% increase in biodiversity and the default is to plant hedgerows alongside any footpaths that cross the site.  If breeding birds are active on the site they need to leave clear areas for them.

Asked if they divert any footpaths on site during or post construction.  They said they have rarely had to divert any paths and where it has been done this has been at the request of the local authority to improve the route and perhaps join up with another footpath nearby.  They would be happy to consider this if it was appropriate at Tunstall or Skell.

Asked if they have had to close any access routes to the site during construction and the impact of extended build programs.  They have not closed access routes during construction phase and over say a 9 month construction period the main traffic disturbance from HGVs comes in the first third.  They maintain the routes in a usable condition.

While there is no legal requirement to improve or enhance, other than the Biodiversity Net Gain, they can consider improvements in rights of way routes.  While they don’t offer reduced electric rates to locals they offer a local community grant at the start of the project, this is £100k split between Tunstall and Skell.  In terms of best practice there is no set minimum width for footpaths etc, but they did say that some councils, like Hartlepool, have set these out.  They explained that while they don’t currently have any other projects in the pipeline for North Yorkshire there will very likely be more either from themselves or others as the government requires a growth of about 5 times the current solar output.  To give some perspective to this it will still be less land than is given over to golf courses.  Some areas will require more electricity than others and the government is going to set this out in the Energy Strategic Plan in the next few years, which may give more idea about how many more sites are likely in our area, assuming grid capacity can cope and fits with landscape planning, e.g. protected landscapes.

Actions going forward: Environmena to send their framework for decisions around use of agricultural land and LAF members to report back to the forum for decisions around solar farms going forward.