25/08/2026
There are now just three days left to register as an Interested Party for the proposed Whitestone Solar Farm.
As a local councillor, one of the most important issues (There are many) to me is the cumulative impact on crime and rural policing.
I have shared my comments as a registered Interested Party below, so residents can see exactly what concerns I have raised and why. My particular concern is crime and site security.
We only have to look at what happened near Tuxford in May 2026. Police were called to a solar farm near Tuxford in the early hours after security cameras were activated. A vehicle subsequently crashed and police recovered a significant amount of copper wiring. Four men were arrested on suspicion of burglary. Police also reported arrests connected with three shop thefts and possession of a Class A drug, among other suspected offences.
For me, this demonstrates why we need to look beyond what happens within the boundary of a solar farm.
These are large sites containing valuable infrastructure, often in isolated rural locations. Remote monitoring may alert someone that a crime is taking place, but it doesn’t necessarily prevent that crime. My concern is what happens when criminals attracted to these sites then move through our villages and use our rural road network.
And there is a wider question that I believe needs answering.
How will our police absorb any additional criminal activity and demand associated with valuable infrastructure spread across large, isolated rural sites, particularly when we consider the cumulative impact of multiple solar developments?
When you register, there is a comments box asking what Whitestone means to you. Please use it to explain your own concerns. It can’t simply be “we don’t want it.” The Planning Inspectorate needs to understand why you believe you, your village or the wider community could be affected. I have shared my own comments below as an example of the issues I believe need to be considered.
Whatever your views on the development, this is your opportunity to have your say.
The deadline is midnight on Thursday. Please make sure you have your voice heard.
Fact. Not one of the panels will be made in this country. They have a lifespan of approximately ten years. Where will they be disposed of?
https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN0110020
