Plans have been submitted for a solar farm which could generate enough renewable electricity to power up to 16,400 Darlington homes. Elgin Energy Es Co has applied to Darlington Borough Council for permission to build the scheme on land east of Low Maidendale Farm, in Hurworth Moor.
The proposed development would have a generating capacity of up to 38 megawatts and would include solar panels and infrastructure. The applicant said the scheme would make a "meaningful contribution" towards renewable energy targets, energy security and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The site would predominantly use Grade 3b agricultural land, with sheep grazing able to continue alongside the solar panels. If approved, the development would operate for up to 40 years before being removed and the land restored.
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Elgin Energy said the site had been "carefully selected and designed" to maximise renewable energy generation while limiting environmental effects. In a planning statement, it said assessments had found the scheme could be accommodated without unacceptable impacts on heritage, residential amenity, highway safety, flood risk, ecology, contaminated land, minerals, noise or glint and glare.
However, the applicant acknowledged there would be some localised landscape and visual impacts. It said the greatest effects would be concentrated within the site and its immediate surroundings, including views from nearby public rights of way and a small number of homes.
The proposal would also result in a low level of "less than substantial" harm to heritage assets, according to the application. Elgin Energy said the solar farm would provide renewable electricity, support net-zero targets and energy security, enhance biodiversity, provide agricultural diversification and bring economic investment.
The applicant said the benefits "clearly outweigh" the identified adverse effects and that the scheme represented sustainable development in line with the Darlington Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.
Darlington Borough Council will consider the application in due course.
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