Whitestone Solar Farm was originally proposed in Autumn last year, with plans set to build a number of solar panels with associated battery storage across three plots of land.
The land identified is near Conisbrough, Brinsworth and Harthill, spreading between both Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and Doncaster City Council territories and taking up around 1,370 hectares.
The locations were chosen as it allows connection to the National Grid through Brinsworth, with storage batteries capable of holding 750MW - enough to power 250,000 homes.
Land identified currently makes up green space, with plots of agricultural land, however public right of ways in areas are set to be maintained if the development moves forward.
Developers also stated that they have avoided 'the most productive agricultural land and environmentally sensitive areas'.
On top of the solar panels and batteries, other infrastructure works would include on-site cabling, access tracks and ancillary buildings such as offices and welfare areas.
Due to the scale of the development, the solar farm is considered a 'Nationally Significant Infrastructure' meaning it will be handled by the government's Planning Inspectorate rather than local authorities.
Currently in the pre-application stage, the development has already undergone a number of changes following a first round of consultations, with around a fourth of the area planned for solar panels removed to create 'buffers' around homes, villages and public rights of way.
The use of green spaces for such projects has proved controversial however, as Sheffield City Council face backlash for pursuing housing developments on greenbelt land.
While flat open spaces are needed to service the scale of these projects, developers behind Whitestone explain that plans consider environmental factors and include responses to benefit local habitats.
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Details shared read: "In addition to the technical components that are needed for the project to operate, there would be green spaces beneath, between and around the panels.
"These areas would not have any above-ground infrastructure, and would be planted with a mix of native species, including grasses, wildflowers, hedges and trees to support local wildlife."
Researchers from Solar Energy UK have found that solar farms 'may give intensively farmed land the opportunity to recover', however stated that previously developed land is ideal for these types of projects where possible.
As the climate crisis continues to develop, and the government sets out plans to make the nation's energy usage net-zero by 2050, solar farms as well as other renewable resources are becoming increasingly important.
A new set of consultations are set to take place between September 16 and October 28, with a number of public meetings being held locally to share information and hear the concerns of residents.
A public notice on the consultation reads: "The applicant has developed a variety of materials to provide more information about the proposed development, including, a consultation booklet showing the nature and location of the proposed development, a consultation questionnaire to gather feedback on the proposed development, the draft ES (Environmental Statement), and the SoCC (Statement of Community Consultation).
"The consultation materials will be available in several formats from 16 September 2025. All consultation materials, including the SoCC, will be available to download online free of charge."
Consultation documents can be found here.
Public meetings will be held at the following locations: