CAMPAIGNERS who have been battling against the creation of a huge solar farm for the last three years have described Barnsley Council’s decision to earmark the plans for approval a ‘tragedy’ - but they’ve vowed to not back down and continue to fight the proposals until the very end.

The sprawling site - which separates Grimethorpe and Cudworth - was put forward by clean energy solutions company Enviromena and comprises three land parcels the size of more than 130 football pitches.

Plans for the solar farm were first mooted back in 2023 but were not officially submitted to the council until January 2025.

The panels - which would take around a year to install - would be in place to the east and west of Engine Lane for 40 years.

According to its designers, the first parcel lies north of Ferry Moor Lane, the second is to the west of Engine Lane and the third - which is the largest - is to the east of Engine Lane.

Bosses from Enviromena said it could provide power for up to 25,000 homes per year - almost a quarter of all the homes in Barnsley.

The proposals are finally set to be put forward to the council’s planning board on Tuesday and officers have earmarked the plans for approval - much to the dismay of campaigners.

In its first round of consultation, the proposals received 48 objections and five letters of support - but by the second round the number of objection letters lowered to 17 and a huge 206 people showed their admiration of the plans, according to council documents.

Linda Noble, who has been campaigning against the proposals since 2023, told the Chronicle that it would be a ‘tragedy’ to approve the plans.

She said: “I think for us there are better ways of achieving renewable energy than covering fields with largely imported metal panels.

“If it’s approved this site is going to sit there for 40 years.

“I won’t be around in 2066 to see it put back to what it was and I don’t think Enviromena will be either.

“It’s a tragedy.

“It’s a real tragedy for two recognised, deprived villages to lose a space like this.

“People are saying to me: ‘why are you bothering Linda? You can’t even see it’.

“But it’s the thin end of the wedge for me.

“This is two villages that have gone through so much with the mining.

“It’s devastating that it has been recommended for approval.

“We’re absolutely not going to lay down.

“We have to keep going.

“Even though I can’t be there for the meeting, and I can’t watch it and I can’t input, I’ll be sitting there on my sun lounger and my heart will be in my mouth.”

The plans were also objected to by councillors and Barnsley North MP Dan Jarvis.

He told the Chronicle: “Having submitted three objection letters to the head of planning, I remain firmly opposed to the Grimethorpe solar farm proposal.

“Residents have consistently raised concerns about biodiversity, visual impact, road safety, construction disruption, and the lack of meaningful community engagement.

“Questions regarding underground fires and ground stability have only strengthened those concerns.

“The planning board must listen to local people and carefully consider whether this site is truly appropriate for such a large-scale development.”

Cudworth councillor Steve Houghton echoed Dan’s comments and added: “As a matter of principle we’re not opposed to solar farms.

“But in this particular case we’re objecting to it because of its scale.

“It’s just way too big.

“It’s the biggest we’ve seen, certainly in Barnsley, and maybe even one of the biggest in the region.

“The principle objection is that it will join up the communities of Cudworth and Grimethorpe and pull them together.

“We would normally have a green boundary between the two, and keeping the identities and physical definitions of those places apart - this joins them up.”

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BOSSES behind the scheme believe the solar farm proposals will deliver benefits for the community.

The scheme will generate enough clean, homegrown British electricity to power more than 25,000 homes annually and offset approximately 14,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to removing over 9,000 cars from the road, while strengthening the UK’s energy security and cutting reliance on high-cost foreign energy imports, they say.

Following extensive consultation with residents and stakeholders, Enviromena has reduced the development area by more than 20 per cent, reduced the number of solar panels, removed infrastructure from the most visually sensitive parts of the site, increased landscaping and planting, enhanced biodiversity net gain and introduced new public green space.

Additionally, the scheme includes a community benefit fund which has been put in place to support local projects and initiatives.

In partnership with the Red Sky Foundation, the fund has already supported the installation of life-saving defibrillators at Barnsley Football Club.

Furthermore, Enviromena has already been working with Milefield Primary School and the HCAT Academy Trust to provide meaningful benefits for local schoolchildren, irrespective of the planning decision.

Chief commerical officer Lee Adams said: “This recommendation reflects the strength of the planning case, the ongoing energy crisis, and the significant economic benefits the solar farm will bring to the area.

“We have already invested in local initiatives because we believe our projects should power communities, not just homes.

“This is homegrown energy, built on some of Barnsley’s low-grade land, shaped by the views of local residents, and delivering benefits that stay right here in the borough.

“We hope the planning board will agree with the officers’ assessment and we look forward to progressing the project should approval be granted.”