Public inquiry called after developer lodges appeal over refused solar farm in Doncaster
Proposals for a solar farm in Marr, Doncaster, were refused in December 2025
A public inquiry will be held in Doncaster after a solar farm developer appealed local councillors’ decision to refuse planning permission.
Proposals for a solar farm in Marr, Doncaster, were refused in December 2025 by councillors on the City of Doncaster Council’s planning committee.
Councillors unanimously refused planning permission after a two-hour debate after concluding the perceived benefits did not ‘clearly outweigh’ the harms, despite officials recommending the scheme be approved.
Environmena, the company behind the plans, quickly appealed to the Planning Inspectorate, which has now scheduled a public inquiry to determine the appeal in November 2026.
The appeal will be held at The Point on South Parade in the city centre. It starts at 10am on November 17, 2026, running for seven working days and closing on November 26, 2026.
Members of the public can attend the inquiry and, at the Inspector’s discretion, share their views. Those who wish to speak must contact the relevant planning officer in advance.
The initial proposal received around 1,270 representations, which local man Nick Ballinger told the planning committee were all opposed to the plans.
Local councillors Cynthia Ransome and Oliver Bloor spoke against the proposal during the meeting, as did Coun Rachel Reed, who has campaigned against the separate Whitestone Solar Farm on behalf of residents in her ward of Conisbrough.
Following the refusal, Environmena told journalists it had won an appeal elsewhere in the country in similar circumstances.