Hophouse Solar Farm
Introducing Hophouse Solar Farm
Arise Renewable Energy UK and Firma Energy Ventures are preparing to submit a planning application to Westmorland and Furness Council for a 25MW solar farm on land northwest of Kirkby Lonsdale.
The project would have capacity of 25MW with the proposed development creating enough renewable energy to meet the annual electricity demands of approximately 7500 homes. It would also offset approximately 800 tonnes of CO2 each year and nearly 33,500 tonnes of CO2 during the lifetime of the project.
The proposed site location sits within a rural landscape and existing trees and hedgerows will be retained and enhanced to provide screening. While there are no statutory landscape, heritage or ecological designations on site, we will be considering these matters carefully in developing our proposals alongside the feedback received.
Interactive Feedback Map
Please click where you live on this feedback map and fill in the pop-up form to submit your comment. This will enable us to directly understand the location of any concerns you may have with this proposal.
Indicative site location plan
Why do we need to do this?
The Climate Emergency, cost of living crisis and the wider geopolitical situation have all highlighted the importance of domestic energy production. We urgently need to generate energy from new, lost cost, low carbon sources and solar is the lowest cost and quickest to deploy of all energy sources.
In 2019, the UK became the first country in the world to declare a Climate Emergency. It has subsequently committed to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. The new UK Government wants to make the UK a “clean energy superpower”. As a key mission, the Government has committed to achieving a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030.
This proposal will provide wide ranging benefits, including:
Assist Westmorland and Furness Council in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with local and national targets in response to the Climate Emergency.
Contribute towards the security of energy supply in Cumbria through the provision of local, renewable electricity.
Careful consideration has been given to the development to avoid effects on landscape, heritage, or ecological designations.
This is a temporary development, allowing the land to rest for a period of operation up to 40 years.
Decommissioning and full restoration of the site at the end of life of the development will be secured via planning condition.
The proposed solar farm will not require Government subsidy.
Who are we?
Firma Energy Ventures
Founded in 2021 by Rufus Salter and Andrew Jones, Firma is an independent management owned business, based in the North of England. The business has a focus on creating and delivering value from renewable energy developments with environmental and social benefits.
Across the UK Firma currently has over 260 megawatts (MW) of Solar Farm and 347MW of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in development
Arise Renewable Energy UK
Arise Renewable Energy UK is a reliable developer, owner and operator of solar and onshore wind renewable electricity generation projects.
We employ British planners, engineers, grid experts, and surveyors who work closely with landowners on large-scale energy schemes. At the same time, we benefit from the international knowledge and experience of our North European colleagues within the wider Arise AB Group.
Founded in 2007, Arise is one of Sweden’s leading renewable energy companies. Arise manages the entire project value chain – from exploration and permitting to financing, construction, divestment, and long-term management of renewable electricity production. Arise is headquartered in Halmstad, Sweden and has a late-stage development portfolio of over 9,500MW and actively manger the Operations to 2,350MW os wind & Solar spread across Northern Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions
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There is no evidence that solar farms have a negative impact on wildlife. In fact, wildlife thrives within the sites as mechanical agriculture lessens and when managed sensitively. We are committed to a significant biodiversity net gain through the enhancement of existing landscape features and habitats, creation of skylark plots and new habitats to provide opportunities for local wildlife and improved connectivity across the site.
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There will be a community benefit fund. The exact details of the offer will be discussed and agreed with the community as part of the community engagement process
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It typically takes 6 months to build a solar farm of this size. Site working would typically be Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings only.
A construction traffic management plan will be conditioned and subject to detailed liaison with the highways department post planning. Once the solar farm is constructed, monitoring will be carried out remotely by its operator, minimising visits by maintenance staff.
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There is an urgent need to generate energy from new, and environmentally friendly sources, and solar power emerges as the most cost-effective and rapidly deployable among all energy sources. Solar power is already yielding tangible results. For instance, during the period from June to August in 2022, solar power frequently contributed up to 25% of the UK’s daytime electricity (according to the National Grid ESO carbon app). Even in winter, solar panel technology is still effective; at one point in February 2022, solar was providing more than 20% of the UK’s electricity, according to the National Grid).
Solar power is a core part of the Governments’ Net Zero target, and it intends to more than triple solar power capacity by 2030. Achieving this objective requires the deployment of larger scale solar farms as well as on the rooftops of industrial and residential buildings.
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For our solar farm projects, we require a nearby grid connection, a willing landowner, and a site that shows limited or no constraints and is consistent with planning policy. Hophouse Solar Farm offers all of these features.
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The solar farm is a temporary development and will not change the land classification.
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No, solar panels have no moving parts and emit no sound. Inverters and transformers have small cooling fans with a low-level hum, but these are sited away from houses and cannot be heard from more than a few metres away. A full noise assessment has been conducted for the site and the project design will consider potential mitigation, if necessary.
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The UK Food Security Report (2021) found that “the biggest medium to long term risk to the UK’s domestic production comes from climate change and other environmental pressures such as soil degradation, water quality and biodiversity”.
Solar farms currently account for less than 0.1% of land use in the UK (Solar Energy UK Factsheet, 2024). To meet the government’s net zero target, the Climate Change Committee estimates that the UK will require 90GW of solar capacity by 2050, with 70GW needed by 2035. Achieving this would necessitate using approximately 0.6% of the UK’s land area for solar power (Solar Energy UK Factsheet, 2024), which is less than the space currently occupied by golf courses.
Public Consultation Event
You are invited to our public consultation event which will be taking place from 4-7pm on the 25th March at Lunesdale Village Hall, Bective Rd, Kirkby Lonsdale, Carnforth LA6 2BG.
Project Timeline
Pre-Submission Consultation
Spring 2026
Finalise Proposed Design
Spring 2026
Submit Planning Application
Summer 2026
Planning Decision
2027
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Downloads
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