West Yorkshire Police - serious concerns over the proposed New Hall solar farm
- emmajholland
- Oct 31, 2023
- 2 min read
A damning report from West Yorkshire Police in response to the planning application by Boom Power for New Hall solar farm.
It’s understandable that the volume of documents on the planning portal could be off-putting. After all, for most people life seems busier than ever. If you do find some time then reading the comments from consultees is absolutely worthwhile.
West Yorkshire Police (WYP) provide some thoughtful but worrying contributions. Their report largely highlights a lack of detail provided by Boom Power in the planning documents:
‘It would be useful to have an actual site plan, showing the gate, location of lighting, CCTV, any storage (if there is any) to provide full comments.’
WYP stress the potential for crime that specifically targets solar farms. This is well documented and the issue summarised in their comment:
‘organised crime groups or individuals will target sites for copper cabling, cable reels when the site is under construction, and in some cases steal the solar panels.’
We are incredibly lucky that Sitlington is a relatively low crime area and I am certain the community would like to maintain this. One method suggested by WYP to reduce the potential for crime is using 358 steel fencing, a more industrial construction often termed ‘prison fencing’ by suppliers. Sounds lovely! WYP view this as crucial, highlighting the lack of security provided by the deer fencing proposed in Boom’s planning application. It shows there is a balance of cost versus effectiveness, but ultimately aesthetics are likely to be further compromised, creating a more oppressive environment for anyone wanting to enjoy the countryside.
Our thanks go to West Yorkshire Police for their careful scrutiny of this scheme and the resulting request for clarification on multiple points.
If you’d like to read more from the WYP planning response then please visit the following link:
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