West House Energy Park
Consultation Updates
We previously consulted on these proposals in February 2026. Since then, we have made a number of changes to the proposals that we would like to introduce to the local community. This includes the addition of a small scale 10MW BESS that will ensure the efficiency of the site and also act in a grid-balancing capacity.
We thank everyone who attended our two public consultation events. The pre-application consultation period will end on 26th July 2026, please submit any feedback before then.
How the site has changed since we last consulted
We are adding a battery (BESS) to the solar farm. The BESS would store up to 10MW of energy and would occupy a small area of the solar farm (measuring around 20m by 30m in size).
The BESS will also provide an upgrade to the local grid network and provide balancing services to maintain grid stability by regulating the energy supply. The BESS can increase efficiency by storing excess production on sunny days.
At just 10MW and requiring only four battery containers, this BESS development has a remarkably small footprint, making it an efficient and low-impact energy storage solution.
Updated Site Layout
Introducing West House Energy Park
ib vogt UK Ltd is preparing to submit a planning application to City of York for a solar farm and small-scale BESS on land near Elvington, York.
Both the solar and the BESS would have capacity of 10MW with the proposed development creating enough renewable energy to meet the annual electricity demands of approximately 2,500 homes. It would also offset approximately 315 tonnes of CO2 each year and nearly 12,600 tonnes of CO2 during the lifetime of the project and also act in a grid-balancing capacity.
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 and wider geopolitical situation have highlighted the salience of domestic energy production and energy independence. We urgently need to generate energy from new, low carbon 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”. Solar power is a core part of the Governments’ Net Zero target, and it intends to more than triple solar power capacity by 2030, with the intention of reaching 75GW by 2035.
This proposal will provide wide ranging benefits, including:
Assisting City of York Council in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with local and national targets in response to the Climate Emergency.
Contributing towards the security of energy supply in Yorkshire through the provision of local, renewable electricity.
A community fund, which will be established to invest in local projects and initiatives.
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.
Significant biodiversity gain in and around the development.
Indicative solar PV area
Who are we?
ib vogt is a leading utility-scale developer with a 20-year track record in the renewable energy sector. ib vogt is headquartered in London with a team of experienced engineers, project developers, planners and land and grid managers.
ib vogt is a leading solar and battery developer storage developer in the UK and has built almost 500MW of solar projects across the nation, with another 300+ MW of solar and BESS currently under construction.
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 when managed sensitively.
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ib vogt UK Ltd will contribute funds to local community projects as part of our energy park investment. We are keen to hear from locals about potential projects which would be compatible with our values.
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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 ib vogt, minimising visits by maintenance staff to around once a month.
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There is an urgent need to generate energy from new, and environmentally friendly sources Solar power is already yielding tangible results. For instance, at times in 2025, solar power contributed up to 40% of the UK’s daytime electricity (according to the National Grid Energy Dashboard). For instance, on 6 April 2025, according to NESO, solar power was meeting a record 40% of the UK’s electricity demand.
Solar power is a core part of the Governments’ Net Zero target, and it intends to more than triple solar power capacity by 2030, with the intention of reaching 75GW by 2035. 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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Even optimistic assessments show rooftops could deliver only around half of required solar capacity. Brownfield land is limited in availability, size, and viability. Ground‑mounted solar is therefore necessary, alongside rooftop deployment.
For our solar farm projects, we require a nearby grid connection, supportive landowners and a site that is consistent with planning policy. West House Energy Park offers all of these features. We have a firm grid connection offer from Northern Powergrid to supply electricity to the local distribution network at Elvington substation.
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The solar farm is a temporary development and will not change the land classification. A soil survey will be carried out in due course.
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No, solar panels have no moving parts and emit no sound. Inverters and transformers can emit very low-level sound, 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 on the 6th July 2026 from 3-7pm at White Rose House, 79 Main St, Wheldrake, York, YO19 6AA.
Spring/Summer 2026
Pre-Submission Consultation
Project Timeline
Summer 2026
Autumn 2026
Finalise Proposed Design
2027
Submit Planning Application
Planning Decision
Contact us.
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