A Yorkshire MP claims the developers behind a vast solar farm in South Yorkshire "cut corners" during their consultation process with local residents.
The controversial plans for Whitestone Solar Farm span three sites across Doncaster and Rotherham, and would be one of the largest solar farms in the UK with the potential to power 250,000 homes. It would stretch across several parcels of land, including farmland and green spaces, near the M18, south of Bramley and Wickersley, as well as large fields on both sides of the M1, south of its junction with the M18.
Sign up for YorkshireLive Premium here
Pedestrian hit by bus in Sheffield city centre – full statement
Residents divided over 'offensive, outrageous' plan for ex-military to fix troubled Sheffield area 'like Beirut'
But former defence secretary and Rawmarsh and Conisbrough MP John Healey claims the developers ought to have conducted three separate consultations for each of the three sites featured in its proposals, and failed to do so. He said: "It seems quite clear to me that they have done this to cut costs and lump what should be three different consultations in three different areas together where the areas are different, the questions are different and the details are different.
"They have cut corners and I think failed to meet the requirements the legislation sets out for standards of consultation."
A spokesperson for Whitestone Solar Farm said: "Whitestone includes land in three areas which would all connect together through underground cables into the National Grid at the new substation on Long Lane.
"Because there is a single connection point into the grid, the three parts of the project could not operate independently, and must be considered a single development for planning purposes.
"We have fulfilled all of the requirements for consultation and gone above and beyond to provide meaningful opportunities to engage with local communities that have led to significant changes to the project."
Whitestone One, the first of the three sites outlined within the solar farm proposals, is located in Conisbrough, Doncaster, which falls within Healey's constituency. Whitestone Two and Three are both located in Rotherham, within separate parliamentary constituencies represented by Sarah Champion MP and Jake Richards MP.
In one of his first interviews since stepping down as Sir Keir Starmer's defence secretary in June 2026, Mr Healey stated that the proposals encompass three "different areas with no geographical connection". He said: "My basic take on this is that the scale of the scheme is outsized for the area. The information they have provided to residents is incomplete and that the scheme as it has stood is outsized and out of place.
"Most recently, I have asked the chief planning inspector to review the consultation that Whitestone have run because they have run one, single consultation for three separate schemes, each of which is large enough in its own right to qualify as a nationally significant infrastructure project in its own way."
Currently, all three Whitestone sites are classified as a single nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP), meaning it is a major development requiring approval from a government minister, rather than a local authority.
Alongside fellow South Yorkshire MPs and local councillors, Mr Healey has consistently pushed for greater scrutiny of the proposals. He said: "I've been involved in this from the very start. I have been questioning, challenging the company from the very start and listening to residents from the very start."
The long-standing MP stated that the village of Firsby had been "overlooked by the Whitestone consultation", adding that he had been persistently pressing Whitestone to provide "more information" than they had thus far been prepared to share.
A Whitestone spokesperson said: "Due to its size, it is considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, which means that we must apply for a development consent order under the Planning Act 2008. Developers do not choose which planning regime to use, and we must follow the laws and associated regulations and guidance that apply.
"The project has now moved on to the pre-examination stage. This means that local residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to have their say on the project through the upcoming examination process."
Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.
The World Cup — along with a heat wave in Europe — has brought to the forefront a cultural divide between the U.S. and European countries when it comes to air-conditioning.
Think more Pacific hurricanes, a wetter and colder winter across the southern U.S. — and potentially the hottest year on record.
Forecasters warn of dozens of record-high temperatures across the eastern U.S. in the coming days.
The system could produce up to 20 inches of rain in some isolated areas, forecasters say.
Henderson did not play in Sunday's game, but managed to hurt himself in the celebrations.
Oil prices jumped on Tuesday after attacks by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz pushed the US Treasury Department to revoke a license allowing Iran to sell its oil on the global market.
Quansah received a straight red card in England's win over Mexico.
Per FIFA, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) is "declared jointly liable" for paying the fine.
France manager Didier Deschamps missed the team's match against Norway due to the death of his mother.
President Trump on Monday signed two executive orders focused on the emerging realm of quantum computing.

source