Villagers abandon legal fight over huge solar farm - but insist battle isn't over
Campaigners fighting plans for one of the UK's biggest solar farms have been forced to give up a legal battle - but have still vowed to carry on their fight.
Villagers in Camblesforth, North Yorkshire, say they've run out of time to launch a High Court challenge over the vast 1,175-hectare site that will be built on their doorstep.
Plans for the sprawling Helios Solar Farm were given the go-ahead by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband last month.
But locals say they're paying the price for Britain's green energy rollout, as "hundreds of thousands of pounds" will be wiped off the value of their homes.
Protestors from campaign group HALT (Halt All Large Transmission and Solar Farms) previously launched a £15,000 fundraiser to take the battle to the High Court.
They argued that the village, near Selby, is being unfairly targeted for large-scale green energy projects - as it already lies in the shadow of the Drax power station.
But the group has now confirmed it has had to abandon plans for a judicial review after failing to meet a strict six-week deadline to issue proceedings.
In a statement, the group said the timing of the approval - just before Christmas - limited access to legal advice, leaving too little time to properly prepare and file a claim.
It comes despite campaigners saying they had been advised by lawyers there was a credible argument for a challenge given the cumulative impact of energy infrastructure in the area.
They raised more than £8,000 through donations - but said barristers required upfront fees and that the complexity of the case made it impossible to proceed before the deadline expired.
But despite the setback, campaigners insisted the fight is far from over, saying the approval does not mean the project can now proceed unchecked.
Louise Harrison, who has lived in the area for 22 years, said: "It's really disappointing that the legal challenge isn't going ahead, but I'm so grateful to HALT for trying.
"I joined the parish council to try to fight this from within and I'm going to carry on doing that. There are issues that we can still complain about, like construction noise and work hours.
"It will be happening so close to the houses - and I'm not even sure if that's safe. The recommended distance is 200m, but there's at least four houses that will be closer than that."
An application from Enso Energy and Cero Generation says the Helios Solar Farm would generate enough electricity to power around 47,500 homes.
Many of Camblesforth's 1,500 residents say they have already suffered at the hands of green energy projects, with separate solar sites being built to the north and south of the village.
As well as fears about property values, they worry the site could destroy farmland and bridleways used by horse riders - bringing months of construction noise and heavy traffic to the area.
Gill Lindridge, 58, said the solar farm would be built right up to the fence where her family's horses are kept, estimating the value of her home had already fallen by £300,000.
Her daughter, Kate Joy, 30, said the village already lives with Drax power station on its doorstep, adding: "Do we really need more to look at? It will completely destroy our lives as we know it."
Joyce Morrill, 65, who has lived in Camblesforth since 1997 with husband Ken, 70, feared an influx of construction traffic could damage wildlife.
She said: "We moved here to be in the countryside, but it's not going to be very much fun walking around here now."
HALT said any remaining funds from their campaign would be used to scrutinise the project at local authority level as further approvals are sought.
Responding to concerns, Energy Minister Martin McCluskey said that "clean, homegrown power" was the only way to "make British people better off" amid rising costs.
He said the site would create jobs and help drive economic growth.