North and South Clifton residents contact MPs and council over ongoing consultation and pollution concerns about One Earth Solar Farm plans

Residents in rural villages which could be surrounded by a 3,950-acre solar farm and battery energy storage system (BESS) are calling on their council and MPs to look at the project in more depth.

Residents of villages including North Clifton and South Clifton remain concerned about the scale of plans and risk of pollution due to the proposed One Earth Solar Farm which stretches across parts of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

Proposed by developers PS Renewables and Danish energy company Ørsted, the large-scale solar farm and battery energy storage system has been submitted to government for acceptance — and if approved will proceed to an examination process before a final decision would be expected in 2026.

David White, a resident of North Clifton, has now written to three MPs on behalf of the ‘Say No to One Earth Solar Farm’ action group to share the community’s “profound and urgent concerns” regarding the proposals.

The letter — to MPs Robert Jenrick (Newark), Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough), and Hamish Falconer (Lincoln) — calls for them to consider further action such as the creation of an all party parliamentary group to look at the application, and other similar plans, in a “more extensive way”.

One main concern for residents is the risk of a “significant pollution event” at the reservoir and water treatment plant which lies in the centre of the development area, and which provides Lincoln with millions of litres of water a day.

Residents fear the proposed BESS, which they say is planned to be of sited within 50 metres of the water treatment plant, would include thousands of lithium-ion batteries which they believe pose a fire risk.

The letter stated: “A fire in or near a water treatment facility could release hazardous contaminants into the water supply, affecting drinking water safety and disrupting essential services.

“Moreover, the environmental impact could extend to the nearby 20 acre North Clifton reservoir, plus local waterways and ecosystems, posing long-term risks to public health and biodiversity, as well as possibly costing millions to clean-up.”

Fears were also raised that run-off water used to tackle any potential battery fires at the site could include carcinogenic particles which could enter the environment.

Aside from pollution concerns, residents also feel the consultation process for the solar farm has “lacked transparency and meaningful engagement”, and have written to Newark and Sherwood District Council to express concerns about this.

The letter asks for the shortcomings of the consultation process to be rectified — either by opposing the application or insisting the developers make changes to the siting of the BESS and restart the consultation process.

The action group highlighted that some residents felt the developers were “talking to ‘animatronics’ who just kept repeating the mantra that everything will be fine in the end” — causing some people to leave the consultation in tears feeling they hadn’t been listened to or had their questions answered.

Other concerns included a number of months during the developers’ official consultation period where the solar farm’s website security certificate expired, unclear plans and diagrams, and vague promises on community benefits.

One Earth Solar says proposals have “changed significantly in response to feedback from community consultations” which took place over a six-week period in Autumn 2023 and an eight-week period in Summer 2024.

During these consultations, developers say consultation methods such as leaflets to more than 2,000 addresses, advertisements, posters and more were used to ensure residents and stakeholders were able to be informed and participate, and during the second round additional materials including a 3D model, maps, images, and other visualisations were provided.

A spokesman said: “All of the feedback we received was acknowledged and reviewed by the team to help inform the updated design. This feedback led to significant changes, including removing panels near homes, villages, and public rights of way — including removing all panels between North and South Clifton. We issued three newsletters to the community during the development period, to answer frequently asked questions, provide project updates, and explain next steps.”

Additionally developers noted it “made efforts to be as transparent as possible”, and that the final results of its Environmental Impact Assessment has been informed by the consultation feedback.

It continued: “Battery technology has advanced significantly in recent years, and now includes a suite of safeguards to ensure safety. This includes sensors that can identify an abnormality in temperature, and shut down units remotely to prevent fires. We have also consulted with Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that safety is built into the project design.

“We have now submitted our application to the Planning Inspectorate. If it is 'accepted', then that will start a process whereby the community and other stakeholders have another opportunity to provide their feedback on the project. They will be able to submit relevant representations directly to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration, during a six-month public examination period which will include hearings, and detailed questions and written responses, which will all be made public.

“Regarding community benefits, we have committed to providing a community benefit fund to provide local benefits from the project. This is not part of the planning process, so it is not included in the application, but instead would be an agreement with the community as a good neighbour. We will continue to consult with the community and local stakeholders to design a community benefit package that meets local needs, that would be in place once the project is constructed. In the meantime, we have already created a community benefit fund to support local initiatives. The first round of funding was issued in 2024, and the next round will be available shortly.“

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