Despite the many letters concerning the proposed solar development at Old Malton, very little has been written about its effect on the windmill that lies at its very heart in Great Sykes Road. It dates from the late eighteenth / early nineteenth century and simply oozes rural charm, sitting amid hundreds of acres of agricultural land that change through the seasons of the year. It is, without doubt, one of Ryedale’s minor treasures.

Earlier this year, Historic England recommended that the windmill be designated as a Grade II listed building because it is of ‘special architectural and historic interest’ and because it is ‘a landmark building in the surrounding flat countryside’.

In consequence of this listing, the NYC Planning Committee, which is to consider the proposed solar development, must assess the effect that the development will have on the setting of the windmill. In my view, it is self-evident that a listed building that for over two hundred years has been surrounded by fields of wheat, barley etc. will inevitably be adversely and significantly affected if the crops were to disappear and be replaced by 72,000 shiny panels and industrial fences standing 2.5 metres tall for a period of forty years. However, the Council’s Conservation Officer has written saying that she has ‘no objection’ to the development because ‘the level of harm would be on the very low end of less than substantial’ - Local Government jargon at its most obscure! We will have to wait and see whether, in due course, the Committee will toe the line or assert its independence and adopt a more realistic view of what is proposed.

Mark Hepworth