Bar Lane

Aura Power is developing a solar farm project on land near Scriven, Knaresborough.

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If approved, Bar Lane Solar Farm will be built without subsidy and would generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of over 24,000 homes, saving over 16,000 tonnes of carbon entering the atmosphere each year compared with electricity generated by gas.

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The UK Government has promised to triple current levels of solar capacity by 2030, which is critical in decarbonising our electricity grid.

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Solar power is one of the cheapest, most readily-deployable energy sources we have, and it will be a key part of achieving homegrown, clean power by 2030.

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This solar farm offers a number of benefits locally with net gains in biodiversity and a community benefit fund of £26,000 a year for the lifetime of the solar farm, offered to support local social, educational and environmental projects.

As a local business, the development will be contributing over £100,000 in business rates to North Yorkshire Council every year as well as providing local green jobs.

August 2026 - We are inviting local people to help shape the project before a planning application is submitted.

We recognise the proposal may raise questions and concerns, particularly given the existing proposals in the area. We are working with local landowners to develop this project and are considering a wider area of land than will ultimately be required for the final design. This gives us flexibility to evolve the layout in response to community feedback.

We are committed to developing the project sensitively, minimising impacts and maximising local benefits, including biodiversity enhancements and a £26,000 annual community benefit fund.

Have your say

We are holding a two-stage consultation, with our first events taking place in September:

Online: Thursday 27 August 2026, 6pm
In person: Wednesday 2 September 2026, 4pm–7pm
Stockwell Wellbeing Hub, 79 Stockwell Ave, Knaresborough HG5 0LG

For more details and how to register, please visit the Consulting with the Local Community section on this page.

We welcome your feedback and will use it, alongside ongoing technical and environmental studies, to develop our proposals.

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September 2026

Stage 1 Public Consultation - Initial plans presented to the local community to gain feedback to help shape our plans ahead of submitting a planning application.

November 2026

Stage 2 Public Consultation - Refined plans presented to the local community accounting for local feedback

December 2026

Planning application submitted to North Yorkshire Council. We will work with the Council's Planning Officers and Statutory Consultees to bring forward a project that can be recommended for approval.

Summer 2027

We hope for a decision on the planning application by North Yorkshire Council.

Spring 2028

If approved we will work to prepare the project for construction which we anticipate to begin in Spring 2028

Winter 2028/29

Anticipated energisation date

24000

equivalent number of homes powered every year

16000

tonnes of CO2 saved every year

27000

equivalent number of electric cars powered every year

Contributes to local and national targets

Net gains in biodiversity

Jobs created during construction and local suppliers prioritised

£26,000 a year Community Benefit Fund

Local School Visits

Over £100,000 a year in business rates to local Council

Consulting with the local community

Useful Links

Exhibition Boards /Presentation Slides

Community Leaflet

Frequently Asked Questions

Location (Google Maps)

Ethical Supply Chain & Sustainability

Engaging with local people is crucial to getting our project right.

We are holding a two-stage consultation to listen to local views and help shape our plans.

Stage 1 Consultation

Online event – Thursday 27 August 2026, 6pm

Join our online consultation event to find out more about the proposals and speak to the project team. A recording will also be made available afterwards.

REGISTER FOR THE ONLINE EVENT HERE

In-person exhibition – Wednesday 2 September 2026, 4pm–7pm

Stockwell Wellbeing Hub, Community Centre, 79 Stockwell Ave, Knaresborough HG5 0LG

There is no need to register – simply come along and speak to members of the project team.

If neither event is convenient, we are happy to speak with you directly. You can contact the project team at barlanesolarfarm@aurapower.com or 0117 217 1971.

What happens next?

We will use feedback from this consultation, alongside our ongoing technical and environmental studies, to develop a more detailed proposal. We will return later this year to share our updated plans and show how feedback received during this consultation has helped shape the project.

Consulting with the community is an ongoing process and we will continue to update you on the progress of our plans. We welcome further discussions should you wish to share any ideas for improvements to the design or have any concerns we can address.

OUR PLANS ARE STILL BEING DEVELOPED

We are working with local landowners to develop this project. We are considering a wider area of land than will ultimately be required for the solar farm. This gives us flexibility to explore different options for the layout and consider how we can:

minimise impacts on nearby communities and the surrounding landscape
protect and enhance biodiversity and create new habitats
maximise benefits to the local area
meaningfully respond to feedback from local people

We have already undertaken a number of technical studies and further work is ongoing. We expect to have more information available at our next consultation event, when we will share a more developed proposal.

Our focus is on developing this project sensitively, minimising impacts and maximising local benefits.

‍We want to hear from you about what you think we should consider as we develop the project further.

Solar farms are proven to have a positive impact on biodiversity and nature recovery as evidenced by a recent study on solar farms in the UK by Solar Energy UK. To view the full report please click here.

WHY HERE?

We have carefully considered the location of the proposed solar farm, and have identified this site as a suitable location because it:

is close to the Knaresborough substation, where we have a secured connection to connect before 2030

is well separated from residential areas
is not located on highest-quality agricultural land
is outside designated environmental and landscape areas

We know that there are already proposals for energy infrastructure in the local area, and we understand that this may raise questions and concerns for local people. It is our intention to develop this site sensitively with minimal impact. We want to hear from you about what you think we should consider as we develop the project further.

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CONSTRUCTION & ACCESS

• Our construction and access arrangements are still being confirmed, however it is our preferred intention to access both sites from the north via Boroughbridge Road, avoiding the need to route through Scriven and Knaresborough.

• Peak construction traffic will take place in the first couple of months

• Local residents along the route will be notified in advance

• A Construction and Traffic Management Plan will be prepared and agreed with the Council prior to construction

Bar Lane

Solar Farm

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