‘Bombshell’ solar scheme on Dalton Estate alarms group of tenant farmers

The farmers were approached for access to land they rent from Dalton Estate for a “non-intrusive survey” on behalf of former oil and gas producer and now renewables giant Ørsted.

But the group has taken the advice of the Tenant Farmers' Association and “nobody has signed anything”.

A spokesperson said they understood a total acreage of between 2,500 and 3,000 acres, east of the A164 Aike/Lockington crossroads from Scorborough to Watton, was being considered for development.

It includes between 1,500 and 1,800 acres owned by Dalton Estate.

The tenants would all be affected in varying degrees, with one standing to lose his entire farm and another being left with just 70 acres. Five others would be rendered “barely viable”.

The spokesperson said: “We’ve no problems with solar panels, put them on house roofs, on top of sheds, on industrial estates.

“From what I am told the estate would be paid £1,000 an acre, index-linked for a minimum 40 years. It is 10 to 12 times what they are currently getting in rent.

"We are all feeling pressure from it. Mental health in farmers is a fairly big issue and you don’t need to do anything to make it worse.”

The tenants would get a year's notice, with compensation of six years' rent: "We are told that they are hoping to be applying for planning the first quarter of 2026.

"We would be given notice to quit in April 2026. We would have to vacate the land in April 2027 for construction to begin.” He said they also feared for wildlife as solar farms are typically surrounded by 6ft to 7ft high deer fencing. "There are otters, badgers. You are keeping all sorts of wildlife out. It doesn’t just affect us.”

Beverley Rural Lib Dem councillor Jeremy Wilcock said: "In parish council meetings I have attended in Beswick and Lockington it is very apparent that the farmers are extremely upset at the prospect.

“A substantial acreage of high-quality Grade 2 to 3 agricultural land would be lost, to be replaced by a four-square-mile eyesore.

"Our farmers have had a hard enough time with the loss of EU subsidies, the inflated cost of fuel, feed and fertiliser, the reluctance of supermarkets to pay them a fair price, new Government taxes and the increasingly unpredictable weather. They do not need this additional anxiety.”

An Ørsted spokesperson said: “To contribute to the UK’s renewable energy goals, Ørsted is assessing potential sites across the country for their viability. As part of this effort, a proposed energy project within the East Riding is in the initial stages of investigation.”

They would expect any future project to “be significantly smaller than 3,000 acres”.

The Dalton Estate told the BBC they were allowing some preliminary survey work to be undertaken. There was “no firm proposal” and “no formal agreement has been entered into”.

It comes as councillors were recommended to approve plans for a 49.9MW solar farm covering 250 acres at Carr Farm, Tickton, in the East Riding.

It is one of more than 20 solar projects planned for the region and next door to one that has already been approved.