Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s net-zero obsession is turning Doncaster into a solar dystopia, with sprawling panels and battery systems devouring farmland and greenbelt under flimsy “green” pretenses. Projects like Fenwick, Tween Bridge, Whitestone, Hooton Pagnell, and Marr Solar Farm expose a reckless plan that sacrifices food security, local jobs, and Doncaster’s rural heart for inefficient solar output. Askern’s greenwashing fury—where Fenwick’s vague sheep grazing promises mask a 325-hectare land grab—sums up the sham. Here’s why Miliband’s solar push is a colossal blunder, and why Doncaster deserves better now.
🌽 Farmland Apocalypse Crushes Food Security
Doncaster’s solar and BESS projects could gobble up 4,015–4,515 hectares, mostly prime farmland—over 6,000 football pitches! Tween Bridge swallows 2,527 hectares, Fenwick 325 hectares, Hooton Pagnell 62 hectares, Marr Solar Farm 77 hectares (190 acres), and Whitestone an estimated 1,000–1,500 hectares [1, 3, 7]. Only Thorpe Marsh’s 22.3 hectares on brownfield spares farmland [4].Greenbelt land near villages like Marr, a designated conservation area, is under threat, risking Doncaster’s rural heritage [7, 8]. The World Bank warns large-scale solar disrupts farming economies, hitting food security hard [5].Miliband’s blind solar rush ignores southern UK’s sunnier sites or brownfield options, betraying Doncaster’s agricultural backbone.
⏰ 40-Year Land Heist Steals Futures
Solar farms like Fenwick, Tween Bridge, Hooton Pagnell, and Marr lock land for 40 years—a generation-long farming blackout [1, 3, 7]. Developers promise restoration, but soil damage (e.g., Tween Bridge’s 30-month construction) could ruin farmland permanently [1].Fenwick’s Decommissioning Strategy and Marr’s claim of “temporary” use lack enforceable soil health guarantees, leaving communities like Askern and Marr skeptical [3, 7]. The World Bank flags long-term land loss as a solar concern [5].For Askern (Fenwick) and Marr, this “temporary” grab feels like a permanent theft.
⚡ Solar’s Feeble Yields Waste Precious LandDoncaster’s panels scrape by at 10–12% capacity factor, yielding 3.0–3.5 kWh/kWp versus 3.5–4.0 kWh/kWp in southern UK or 4.5+ kWh/kWp in Chile [4, 5]. Fenwick (237.5 MW) produces ~20–28 GWh/year, Tween Bridge (800 MW) ~70–84 GWh/year, Hooton Pagnell (49.9 MW) ~4–5 GWh/year, and Marr (40 MW) ~3–4 GWh/year [1, 3, 7].The 1.82 GW planned capacity (near Doncaster’s updated 1.877 GW with Marr) demands vast land for measly output, per UK grid data [6]. Miliband’s northern solar fetish spurns southern England’s better yields, squandering Doncaster’s fields.Developers hype energy gains, but these pathetic panels are a land-hogging flop.
🐑 Greenwashing Scams Fool No One in AskernFenwick, near Askern, boasts sheep grazing and a 71% biodiversity boost, but its Landscape and Ecological Management Plan (LEMP) skips flock sizes, stocking rates, or monitoring details [3]. This reeks of greenwashing, like Norfolk’s weed-choked solar failure.Tween Bridge’s “major sheep farm,” Hooton Pagnell’s 60% biodiversity claim, and Marr’s 71% biodiversity net gain (with grazing) are equally vague, masking massive land loss with hollow promises [1, 7]. The World Bank backs agrivoltaics but demands rigorous plans, missing here [5].Askern locals, echoing Lincolnshire’s distrust, see Fenwick’s 325-hectare sham and Marr’s 77-hectare dodge as PR stunts, not solutions [3, 7].
💸 Jobs Vanish, Empty Promises EchoSolar jobs are a mirage: Fenwick (~50–100), Tween Bridge (23), Whitestone (~150–300), Hooton Pagnell (~10–20), and Marr (<10) dwarf arable job losses from 3,993–4,493 hectares [1, 3, 7]. Tween Bridge’s 606 construction jobs are fleeting, leaving farmers stranded [1].Grazing is pitched as job-saving, but vague plans (Fenwick, Marr) expose the lie. Lease income (~£40,000/year) is a weak band-aid [1, 7]. The World Bank warns of solar’s job displacement [5].In Askern and Marr, Fenwick and Marr’s job hype crumbles as farmers face ruin.
Miliband’s Solar Madness:
A Betrayal of Doncaster 😡
Ed Miliband’s 50 GW solar goal by 2030 is bulldozing Doncaster, with 1.82 GW of planned projects (Tween Bridge, Fenwick, Whitestone, Hooton Pagnell, Marr) wrecking farmland and greenbelt [6]. Picking northern England’s dreary skies over southern sunshine or brownfield sites like Thorpe Marsh is sheer folly. Askern’s greenwashing outrage at Fenwick’s flimsy grazing claims, mirrored in Marr’s vague promises, shows locals are done with Miliband’s eco-spin. The World Bank’s warnings on land and job losses demand a rethink [5].
A Smarter Path for Doncaster
🚀Doncaster can go green without gutting its soul. Miliband must:
🌟 Embrace Brownfield: Scale up Thorpe Marsh (22.3 hectares) to save farmland [4].
☀️ Go South: Southern UK’s 3.5–4.0 kWh/kWp slashes land use [4, 5].
📜 End Greenwashing: Enforce detailed grazing and biodiversity plans for Fenwick, Tween Bridge, Hooton Pagnell, and Marr, with audits [1, 3, 7].
👷 Save Farmers:
Fund retraining and fair pay to offset job losses [5].
🏞️ Protect Greenbelt: Preserve Doncaster’s rural legacy, especially in Marr’s conservation area [7, 8].
Final Word:
Miliband’s solar push is a catastrophe for Doncaster, torching 4,015–4,515 hectares of farmland and greenbelt for feeble panels that barely deliver. Askern’s greenwashing nightmare at Fenwick and Marr’s dodgy promises expose the deceit. With 10–12% yields and vanishing farm jobs, this isn’t progress—it’s plunder. Doncaster demands better: brownfield sites, southern focus, and honest plans to hit net-zero without wrecking its roots. Miliband, stop this madness!
References:
1.Tween Bridge Solar Farm: https://tweenbridgesolar.co.uk/
2.Marr Farm BESS: https://planning.doncaster.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=RQLDNIFX0CI00&activeTab=summary
3.Fenwick Solar Farm: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/EN010132/EN010132-001714-simon%20skelton%20-%20Responses%20to%20the%20ExAs%20Second%20Written%20Questions.pdf
4.Global Solar Atlas: https://globalsolaratlas.info/global-pv-potential-study
5.World Bank Report: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/energy/publication/solar-photovoltaic-power-potential-by-country#
6.UK Grid Data: https://grid.iamkate.com/
7.Marr Solar Farm: https://marrsolarfarm.com/
8.Marr Conservation Area: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/conservation-history/marr-conservation-area
SAY NO TO THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR LAND 
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