Wrong forms given out in solar farm consultation

Residents in Rotherham and Doncaster were wrongly informed about how to provide feedback on plans for a new solar farm, the Planning Inspectorate has revealed.

One Nation, the developer behind the Whitestone Solar Farm project, issued blank forms to people at public events and told them they could be used to submit representations objecting to or supporting the plans.

But the inspectorate said the forms distributed by the applicant could not be accepted as a relevant representation.

In response, Whitestone said it had since extended to 11 September the deadline for people to register with the inspectorate as interested parties and have their say on the project.

A spokesperson for the company said the mistake was based on staff's "understanding of the relevant guidance at the time" at one of its sign-up days aimed at helping residents engage in the process.

They added: "During one of these events, a small number of individuals expressed that they were unable to register using the online form, because they lacked email addresses.

"In response, we provided a printed form to allow them to submit their details and feedback to the Planning Inspectorate by post. This was based on our understanding of the relevant guidance at the time.

"After further discussions with the Planning Inspectorate, we understand that they are not able to accept this form."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Planning Inspectorate statement saw local community groups worry that their submissions would not be counted, as news about the incorrect forms arrived one day before the 27 August deadline.

The inspectorate said that in order for representations to be accepted, "they must be submitted either via the online form, or by obtaining an official version of the hard copy form from the Planning Inspectorate".

Philip Knight, secretary of Save Our Greenbelt Conisbrough Parks, said it was the "statutory right" of local residents to participate in the process, adding: "[We] must be given accurate information about how to do so."

The Whitestone spokesperson said: "Individuals who cannot complete the online form should request a paper form from the Planning Inspectorate, as per their guidance.

"As relevant representations are made directly to the Planning Inspectorate, we have not collected or retained any personal information from the individuals who attended last week's events."

The plans for the solar farm have been classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, which are treated separately from normal local authority planning because of their size and importance to wider communities.

Whitestone said that if the plans for the site went ahead, it would power about 250,000 homes in Rotherham and Doncaster and exceed the size of Europe's current largest operational solar farm.