Plans that have been submitted to Ryedale District Council for a £30m, solar farm will go on display at a ‘drop-in’ event in Malton next week.

Staged by Harmony Energy between 3pm and 7pm on Monday, February 20 at The Talbot Malton Hotel, Yorkersgate, the event will provide the latest information to local residents and businesses about its proposal to develop a 53-hectare site owned by the Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation, 2.5km from Malton town centre, adjacent to Eden Camp.

If approved, the 72,000 solar panels will be capable of meeting the average annual electricity needs of 8,660 homes – or just over a third of the households in Ryedale District.

Members of the Harmony Energy team will be on hand to answer any questions the public might have about the proposed scheme. They will also be able to view the layout, images, landscaping scheme and learn details about the technical and environmental aspects of the project.

Peter Kavanagh, Harmony Energy’s CEO, said: “There has already been a great deal of publicity about our proposal, and now we want to give residents and businesses an opportunity to see for themselves our plans and speak with key members of our team about the benefits it will deliver.

“If approved, our solar farm will provide clean, green energy into the local grid, providing enough power to meet the equivalent demands of a third of Ryedale households. We will also create new wildflower meadows, plant trees and make improvements to existing hedgerows, creating an overall biodiversity net gain of more than 105 per cent.

“And with the new North Yorkshire Council setting its sights on the county being carbon net zero by 2030, our solar farm will make carbon dioxide savings of 12,500 tonnes per year.

“Additionally, we will provide a £10,000 per annum community benefit fund for the 40-year lifespan of the scheme. The development does not rely on any taxpayer funded subsidies and will pay significant business rates.”

Peter added: “We recognise the financial impact the development would have on the farmer who currently rents the farm. That is why we are contributing half the annual compensation package – a substantial figure which is payable annually index linked for 40 years.

“The annual compensation package is multiple times the value of the statutory compensation.

“We have also agreed a Letter of Intent with nearby Eden Business Park, to supply local businesses with cheaper, clean, green electricity, direct from our proposed solar farm, helping to reduce their energy costs at a time of many businesses closing due to record energy prices.”

Further information about Harmony Energy is available on its website, https://www.harmonyenergy.co.uk/