Light Valley Solar is a proposed solar project located on land between Escrick, Monk Fryston, Hambleton, Chapel Haddlesey and South Milford. The project consists of seven solar development sites totalling approximately 1,020 hectares (2,500 acres) of land, as well as additional land being used for underground cabling to connect the sites to the National Grid Monk Fryston substation. 

Light Valley Solar is expected to provide up to 500 megawatts (MW) of low-carbon, affordable, and dependable electricity to the grid, supporting necessary climate commitments at both regional and national levels.  

Clean electricity generated by the project will be supplied to the National Grid at the existing Monk Fryston substation, where a 500 MW AC (alternating current) connection has been agreed. For context, 500 MW AC is equivalent to powering approximately 115,000 homes annually. 

On this website, you can find out more about the project, why it is needed, and how you can have your say.  

To stay informed about Light Valley Solar, you can sign up to receive updates directly to your inbox. Please click here to register with us and be kept up to date with any news and developments regarding the proposals.

Phase Two Consultation: 26th June – 7th August 2025 

We have now launched our second phase of consultation which will be running for six weeks from Thursday 26th June until Thursday 7th August 2025. 

You are invited to take part in our Phase Two consultation, which is running from Thursday 26th June to Thursday 7th August 2025. During this time, we’d like to know what you think about our updated proposals for Light Valley Solar and how they have evolved since our earlier non-statutory consultation in October to December 2024. 

As part of this phase of consultation, we have published a series of new documents, which can be viewed on our Documents page. This includes our Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR), which presents the findings of the preliminary surveys and assessments undertaken to date, together with the measures we are proposing to avoid, reduce or, enhance the effects the Proposed Development may have on the environment. The full PEIR can be viewed here.  

As part of this consultation, we are holding the following information events: 

  • Friday 4th July, 3pm - 7pm - Eversley Park Centre, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Eversley Park Centre, Low St LS25 6BA

  • Tuesday 8th July, 3pm - 7pm - Escrick & Deighton Club, 59 Main Street, Escrick, York YO19 6LQ

  • Wednesday 9th July, 3pm - 7pm - Riccall Village Institute, 12 Station Road, York YO19 6QJ

  • Friday 11th July, 1pm - 5pm - Haddlesey Church Community Hall Millfield Rd, Chapel Haddlesey YO8 8QF

  • Tuesday 15th July, 3pm - 7pm - Hambleton Village Hall
    3 Station Road, Selby YO8 9HS 

  • Saturday 19th July, 11am - 3pm - Monk Fryston & Hillam Community Centre Old Vicarage Ln LS25 5EA

  • Monday 21st July 2025, 6pm - 7.30pm – Online Webinar via Zoom – register to attend here

Due to the recently announced closure of Queen Margaret’s School, we have been informed that we can no longer host an event there. We have since confirmed the Escrick & Deighton Club as an alternative, at the same time and on the same date. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. 

Next steps

Following Phase Two consultation, we will review our proposals in light of feedback received along with the findings from our ongoing assessments so we can finalise and submit our application for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate. As the developer, we have a duty to demonstrate how we have taken your views into account in developing our final application.

We are anticipating submitting the DCO Applicant by Q1 2026. You can view our indicative project timeline here.

We will continue to engage with local councils, community groups and technical consultees, and you can continue to get in touch via our communication channels, which can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Where we are now

Contributing to climate targets and decarbonising our electricity supply

Light Valley Solar will contribute towards the UK Government’s goals of tripling solar power to 50GW by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050.

Co-existing and enhancing the natural environment

Light Valley Solar will be designed in a way that boosts and enhances local wildlife by delivering a net gain in biodiversity.

Continuing a legacy of power generation

Light Valley Solar is proposed in an area with a significant history of power generation.

Existing infrastructure and capacity makes it well placed to continue this legacy.

Community and local benefits

We are committed to working with the local community to identify and define community benefits.

To stay informed about Light Valley Solar, you can sign up to receive updates directly to your inbox. Please click here to register with us and be kept up to date with any news and developments regarding the proposals. 

To see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), please visit our FAQ-dedicated webpage linked here.

To print, view and download our consultation materials please visit our Documents webpage, available via this link. 

Stay Informed

We have established dedicated communications lines for Light Valley Solar Park, listed below, to ensure that you are always able to get in touch with a member of our stakeholder correspondence team, from 9am to 5pm Monday - Friday. In the meantime, please register with us here to receive email updates and be kept informed about Light Valley Solar.

Please feel free to get in touch using any of the communications lines below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Contact Us