03/11/2025
Todwick PC's objection sent to Whitestone after the meeting last week:
Todwick Parish Council has considered the proposed Whitestone Solar Farm development at our meeting this evening, and we write to formally object. We have significant concerns regarding its potential impact on our parish and community and while we recognise the importance of renewable energy, we do not believe this proposal in its current scale and form is appropriate for this location.
Our objections are summarised as follows:
1. Scale and Cumulative Impact
The overall scale of the Whitestone Solar Farm is excessive. Although no array is directly sited within Todwick Parish, the development’s size, character, and associated infrastructure will have a clear and lasting effect on the wider rural setting that links Todwick with Aston, Kiveton Park, Harthill, and Wales. The industrial nature of the proposal conflicts with the Green Belt purpose of preventing urban sprawl between these communities.
2. Traffic and HGV Movements through Todwick
Our greatest concern relates to construction and servicing traffic. Kiveton Lane runs directly through the centre of Todwick, past the primary school, residential properties, and narrow junctions. It already experiences congestion at peak times. Any increase in HGV or abnormal-load movements would pose unacceptable risks to pedestrian safety, especially for schoolchildren, and would severely disrupt local traffic flow. We have seen no credible Transport Management Plan demonstrating how large vehicles will access the construction areas without traversing our village. Until the developer can confirm that construction and delivery routes will avoid Kiveton Lane entirely, Todwick Parish Council must object to the proposal on safety grounds.
3. Insufficient Local Consultation
Residents in Todwick have received little direct engagement or clear information about likely traffic routes, cable corridors, or timescales. Given the project’s scale and its classification as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the level of consultation provided locally has been inadequate.
4. General Observations
The development’s cumulative visual and environmental footprint across South Rotherham raises broader concerns about the progressive industrialisation of rural land.
The lack of a detailed Transport Management Plan and absence of road condition or swept-path analysis for local lanes undermines confidence in the proposal’s readiness.
Any benefits cited are outweighed by the disruption, safety risks, and loss of rural amenity likely to result from construction and long-term maintenance traffic.
The assertion that we have been formally consulted and have no objections is simply untrue
5. Consideration for alternative sites
Notwithstanding our concerns over the grading applied to the proposed land in Rother Valley, we have seen nothing in the plans that proposes utilising alternative, brownfield sites. One prime example, which could easily connect to the Brinsworth substation would be the former Sheffield City Airport - a site with approximately 32 hectares of land.
6. Conclusion
Todwick Parish Council cannot support the Whitestone Solar Farm proposal as currently presented. We request that:
The developer confirms in writing that no construction or maintenance traffic will route through Todwick via Kiveton Lane or The Pastures.
A comprehensive traffic and safety assessment be undertaken jointly with Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council before any further submission.
A revised proposal considers scale reduction and alternative logistics routes to remove the risk to our community.
Said revised proposal looks at brownfield sites in and around the Brinsworth substation instead of the use of agricultural land
Unless these assurances are provided, Todwick Parish Council will maintain its objection and will make further representations to the Planning Inspectorate should the Development Consent Order application proceed, alongside the MP for Rother Valley
