Overview

• Landowner Sir Henry Ropner granted Enviromena an option and lease in February 2024, and the planning bid submitted in July is awaiting a North Yorkshire Council decision.
• Early layouts would have wrapped panels around Lord’s Moor Farm; revised plans leave limited view gaps that the resident couple say do not resolve their concerns.
• The scheme proposes panels about 7.2 metres long and up to roughly 2.9 metres high, with homeowners also citing substations, perimeter fencing and CCTV as intrusive.
• Enviromena argues the site can deliver a net biodiversity gain, while a 2024 breeding bird survey recorded 164 pairs of 38 species on the fields, including lapwings.
• The developer says it engaged with the Fosters and declined a property purchase request but offered design refinements; a petition has topped 850 signatures and a legal fund has raised over £3,000, as the council declines to comment on a live case.