'It will save our Derbyshire farm' - Family welcomes solar farm after working fields in village for 100 years

“A solar farm could save our agricultural livelihoods for future generations,” says a Derbyshire family which has worked the fields around a rural village for nearly 100 years.

The Hart family have worked around Denby for generations and have now sought to explain why they are working with energy firm Starlight to build a 155-acre solar farm on their land.

An application for the solar farm, off Denby Common, would see panels cover fields between Denby Village, Marehay and the Denby Pottery site and generate enough electricity to power 14,800 homes.

It has seen a significant public campaign to stop it, including claims that “nobody wants it”.

The Hart family, residents in the area themselves, contest that, saying they need the development in order to diversify their business and secure the use of the remaining fields for farming for generations to come.

In a joint statement, they have said: “We were here before the mine and are happy to still be here today on the same land, after doggedly purchasing the land back after the pits were closed.

“As long-term landowners and farmers in Denby, our family has a deep connection to this area, and we’ve watched the landscape change over the years. 

“Like many farming families, we have felt the challenges of changing times. 

“Our farm changed as the times demanded, from dairy to poultry as the land was lost to the mines, and then to poultry and sheep grazing alongside our tenant farmer as the land was reclaimed.

“Recent years have seen more small farms than ever close for good and sold off across the country. 

“That is why opportunities to diversify are essential, to allow fresh investment and the security to adapt to modern farming practices.

“Like many farmers and rural landowners, we have felt the challenges of relying solely on traditional agriculture. 

“That’s why opportunities for farming diversification are always of interest to us and farmers across the country. 

“Although some people view them negatively, it’s clear that solar farms such as the one proposed on our land present a chance for farming families like us to tap into new opportunities, whilst retaining the agricultural heritage we are so proud of. 

“It’s true that solar contributes to the wider economy and broader push towards renewable energy, a key focus of the UK’s national strategy in tackling climate change. 

“But it’s also true that it offers families like ours the opportunity to reinvest and regenerate their farms.

“Having solar panels on the land offers a stable and sustainable source of income. 

“With this investment, the fourth generation of the family intends to revitalise the farm, renovating the poultry buildings, bringing them back into use under modern farming practices, such as vertical farming and aquaponics to generate more food, niche products and local jobs, all whilst the land is still grazed. 

“If you truly support farmers, this is what that looks like in a modern agricultural landscape.

“We have worked hard, with Starlight, to ensure that the solar farm allows our tenant farmer to continue grazing – we would accept nothing else. 

“We insisted that they provide improvements in biodiversity net gain, habitats, wildflowers, bees, bats, bird breeding and hedgerows. 

“We will see measurable and very real improvements to the diversity of the flora and fauna.

“For example, sheep grazing will continue alongside the solar panels, maintaining the land’s ongoing agricultural use and when the lease ends in 40 years, the site is fully restored to its pre-development condition. 

“This is a temporary use, not a permanent transformation. It’s about finding productive new uses for land that might not be ideal for traditional farming, alongside ongoing farming operations.

“This is about landowners and farmers adapting to changing circumstances and exploring opportunities that benefit our communities, the environment and boost our local economy. “It’s also a way for us to honour our history and the history of the land, by turning a site previously used to extract polluting coal, into a site where solar, wildlife and farming operate in harmony. 

“We believe this is a fitting legacy for not just the growth of the farm, but the growth of the UK towards a better, cleaner future.”

Amber Valley Borough Council will make a decision on the planning application in the next few months.