High Court Overturns Approval for Woolpots Solar Farm

The Planning Inspectorate is reconsidering plans for the Woolpots solar farm and battery storage facility near Husthwaite, North Yorkshire, following a High Court ruling that quashed a previous approval. Philip Hewitson, a local resident, successfully argued in August that the original planning inspector failed to properly account for the project's impact on the Howardian Hills National Landscape.

Proposed by Woolpots Solar Farm Ltd, the development would span 126 acres and include a 37MWh battery storage facility designed to export 32MW of electricity. North Yorkshire Council had originally refused the project, citing concerns over agricultural land loss and landscape degradation.

A reopened hearing is provisionally scheduled for November 25. However, Hewitson and the Husthwaite Parish Council are demanding a full public inquiry. Opponents of the project highlight the industrialization of the countryside and raise fire safety concerns due to the battery facility's proximity to a local primary school.