Last working farm in Derbyshire village mentioned in Domesday Book is threatened by renewable energy generating station

Banners protesting against the scheme have been put up this weekend in and around Morton. Becky Spackham, founder of the Stop Morton Solar Farm group, said: “Leaflets are being delivered throughout Morton, Stonebroom, Mickley and Stretton as all these areas will be affected.”

RWE Solar and Storage UK (previously known as JBM Solar) has earmarked a swathe of agricultural land that is in close proximity to housing and Morton Grange Nursing Home.

The company states that the proposed solar farm would meet the equivalent energy needs of approximately 18,500 homes. Ben Kwok, development project manager at RWE, said: “The layout of the development includes a no-development buffer close to residential properties. This buffer will include new planting in the form of hedgerow and trees to complement the existing green infrastructure, boost biodiversity and provide enhanced screening. The solar farm itself would be subject to a temporary planning permission for up to 40 years and would be fully decommissioned after this, whilst retaining the land classification of ‘greenfield’.”

People wishing to voice an opinion on the application have until January 25 to submit their comments. The decision on whether to grant planning consent to build and operate the renewable energy generating station rests with North East Derbyshire District Council.

Becky, who lives on Evershill Close, Morton, about 300 metres from the planned site, said: “The proposed 150 acre development is hugely disproportionate to the size of the village and would completely alter the character of the village, heavily industrialising the entire area.

"The proposed development would include 2-3 metre high fences all around the site and thousands of solar panels that would take almost a year to install, with residents living as near as 70 metres away tolerating heavy traffic and debilitating sound levels as pile drivers work non-stop to erect the panels. Similar projects have resulted in impacts on health and well-being, including tinnitus from the constant noise, loss of revenue for those working from home and disturbed sleep for those working night shifts.”

In response, Mr Kwok said: “The proposed development would, on average, produce up to 13 daily two-way HGV movements over a six-month construction period. During operation, there would be approximately one to two vehicle movements per month. Subject to planning approval, the construction of the solar farm would be in accordance with agreed construction management plans and in line with industry best practice to minimise disturbance.”

Becky said: “The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and has been wholly agricultural ever since, with a 100-year functioning colliery. Now the last remaining working farm in the village is under threat. Averill Farm is tenanted to a family who provide human grade food crops, in 2022 the farm produced a near Guinness World Record amount of wheat at five tons per acre! The farm also produces forage fed beef for Sainsburys and hosts a livery yard as well as sheep belonging to a local shepherd. The farmer has won national awards for innovative farming services, using ground breaking technology to help farmers improve productivity without blanket spraying or overusing fertilisers.”

Addressing her comments, Mr Kwok: “The proposed development would provide the opportunity for sheep grazing on 95% of the land alongside the production of renewable energy, which would mean that the existing arable agricultural practices would transition to pastoral farming. The landowner maintains a positive relationship with the tenant farmer and has kept him informed of the proposed solar development throughout. They have proposed the continued use of the farm house, extensive farm buildings and yard which are not included within the proposed development area, but could continue to be used as a base for the other land that the tenant farmer will continue to farm. In relation to the position of agricultural output and solar farms more generally, the most recent UK Food Security Report published by the Government states that the biggest threat to UK agriculture is climate change. Renewable energy developments provide the opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and therefore minimise risk to farmers.”

Becky, who has a background in environmental conservation and a degree in the subject, said: “The beautiful walk through the farm is the only disabled and buggy access footpath in the village and is in almost constant use by villagers and ramblers, with the option to walk through the farm on the private farm road at the kind permission of the farmer. Unfortunately this valuable amenity would be completely spoilt by the development with potential detrimental impacts on residents.”

Mr Kwok responded: “The public right of way will remain open for users, will not be modified by the proposed development and therefore would not be ‘spoilt’ by any of the proposed development. All users would rightfully be able to continue the enjoyment of this right of way. As part of RWE’s community offering and in response to feedback received during the consultation period, a new looped permissive path has been included in the site layout which will provide access to a wildflower meadow. This new looped path will include educational information boards about the solar farm and the importance of tackling climate change.”

Becky, 37, launched the Stop Morton Solar Farm group on Facebook in Sepember to provide information on the proposal and enable people to object if they wished.

She said: “One of the greatest potential threats to the local community and surrounding villages is that of the proposed BESS (battery electric storage system) facility which is made up of multiple lithium ion batteries that can fail, causing explosions, toxic vapour clouds and thermal runaway. Over 50 BESS failures have been recorded worldwide, most within the last four years, causing a number of insurers to withdraw from the market. The impact of thermal runaway and toxicity is serious, with the potential for the village of Morton and surrounding villages to be evacuated and the ground contaminated permanently.”

"Morton already has a toxic dioxin dump which many residents remember discovering with fear and anger in the '80's, more than their fair share!”

Mr Kwok replied: “RWE takes the safety of any energy generation facility very seriously. The proposed development has been carefully designed to be in alignment with national guidance on the risk of battery fires as outlined by the National Fire Chief Council. The local Fire and Rescue Service has provided ‘no objection’ to the proposed development as a result of our considered approach and planning application material. Despite this no objection, we will continue to engage with the relevant statutory consultees on all matters relating to safety.”

The applicant held extensive consultation with the community during autumn 2023 about the plan for the site north of Stretton Road, Morton,

A design and acess statement to the district council states that the generation of clean, renewable electricity would result in an estimated reduction of approximately 27,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum when compared to power generated from fossil fuel sources.

The construction of the solar farm will take approximately six to nine months to complete, from site preparation to grid connection. Construction and operational phase vehicles would come and go from the site via an existing paved access off Stretton Road.

More than 500m of hedgerow, 141 native trees and a grazing meadow would be planted in a bid to integrate the proposed development into the landscape as fully as possible.