Events for local residents to share their views on the proposed 320MW Kingfisher Solar Farm in east Yorkshire as part of an initial non-statutory consultation are being held next week.
Kingfisher Solar Farm, being developed by Orsted, is proposed on land approximately three miles north of the town of Beverley, to the east of the A164.
An initial, non-statutory consultation began on Monday 3 February and two in-person events have already taken place in Lockington and Hutton Cranswick, which had more than 200 attendees.
Local residents, businesses and community groups are being encouraged to attend the remaining events to learn about the project and share their views, which will be held in Cottingham and Beverley.
A virtual consultation is also live.
If granted consent, Kingfisher is expected to be operational by the end of 2030.
Orsted is proposing to use the same cable route as the UK Government-consented Hornsea 4 Offshore Wind Farm (another Orsted developed project) for Kingfisher. This would connect to the national grid via an underground cable route to the Creyke Beck substation, situated south of Beverley and north of Cottingham.
Randall Linfoot, Orsted’s Programme Manager for Kingfisher, said: “Ørsted is committed to engaging with communities as early as possible. We have already had productive conversations in Lockington and Hutton Cranswick about our initial proposals.
“If the project is approved, there are a range of benefits for the community proposed, including a Community Benefit Fund and increase in wildlife and natural habitat areas around the solar array. Local communities will play a key role in shaping these plans.
“For residents who haven’t yet had the chance to take part in this initial, non-statutory consultation, I would encourage them to attend our final two in-person events in Cottingham and Beverley, or head online to kingfishersolarfarm.co.uk.
!All the feedback is invaluable to the Kingfisher project.”
This initial, non-statutory consultation will run until Sunday 9 March.
Once feedback has been gathered and analysed, a further round of consultation is expected to be held later in the year.
Kingfisher Solar Farm is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) as its proposed capacity exceeds 50MW, requiring an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to the Planning Inspectorate.
The development process for the project through to DCO submission and then examination is expected to take approximately two years.
Subject to consent being granted, it is anticipated that the construction phase of the project will last for two to three years.