Sir Henry Ropner, 43, owns the land where Nigel and Crystal Foster have lived in Bedale, North Yorks., since 1997 – and plans to erect a huge 113-acre solar farm
A former Eton schoolmate of Prince William is locked in a battle with a couple over plans to surround their £1m farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales with thousands of solar panels.
Nigel and Crystal Foster, aged 63 and 59, have lived in their four-bedroom farmhouse, Lord’s Moor Farm, in Bedale, North Yorks., since 1997, when they bought the 18th century farmhouse for £200,000.
But the semi-retired chartered surveyors say their lives have been turned upside down as their “peaceful, tranquil, and pastoral” views are under threat by plans for a massive 113-acre solar farm which would surround their isolated property.
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The land is owned by Sir Henry Ropner, 43. The Old Etonian was a schoolmate of Prince William and reportedly dated Kate Middleton when the couple split briefly.
The investment manager lives with his family two miles away at the Grade II* listed Thorp Perrow Hall, situated on the 100-acre woodland estate of Thorp Perrow.
According to Land Registry documents, the knight of the realm made an option agreement for an undisclosed sum with a renewable energy company, owned by Enviromena Developments, in February 2024.
As part of the agreement, Sir Henry promises not to sell his land without the developer’s permission until at least February 2031.
Plans were submitted for the solar farm in July and are currently awaiting a council decision. However homeowner Nigel has vowed to fight the plans says a “clash of cultures” is to blame for the dispute.
He said: “The landowner comes from a background of metropolitan private equity type commercial values, as compared to us out here in the sticks, where we have traditional family country based values.
“The two are not great bedfellows. They struggle alongside one another. That’s quite a gap, it’s a chasm, and we’re struggling. He’s struggling with it, and so are we. Our positions, really, are irreconcilable. We’re totally opposed to the scheme, and we will fight it with everything we’ve got. Hopefully he’ll stop before we do.”
According to developer Enviromena, the 113-acre (45.9-hectare) solar farm would generate enough power for 13,830 homes, saving 7,730 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Nigel and Crystal, who raised three children on the land, bought the property from Sir Henry’s late father, Sir John Ropner, 28 years ago.
Despite loving their home, the couple say they would have been willing to give it up if developers had offered a buyout. But their requests for a way out were refused.
Nigel said: “If we were in our 90s or 80s now, or if God forbid there was just one of us left here, we wouldn’t have the fight, the energy, to take these people on.
We would just be crushed by them. I think they’re a bunch of thugs – a bunch of crooks. All they’re interested in is money. They don’t care about the people they affect. They would have us like a fox in a coop of chickens. They would clear us out. That underlines the harmful nature of this unregulated industry. It’s unjust.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser, which aims to fund legal advice to challenge the plans, has received over £3,000 in donations, while over 850 people have signed an online petition against the plans.
Originally, developers planned to completely surround Nigel and Crystal’s home with solar panels. Plans were subsequently altered to include some ‘view’ gaps – but they say this isn’t enough.
Nigel said: “You don’t think about the noisy substations, CCTV every 50 metres, danger of death signs, security fences, and all the other stuff that goes with it. That just doesn’t enter your mind until and unless you’ve done your research and homework. Once you’ve done that, you’re appalled at the prospect of it.”
Crystal said: “When this is industrialised we’ll be surrounded by fences. There will be CCTV cameras. It’ll feel like we’re monitored pretty much all day, every day, depending on which direction they’re sending them in. These sites attract criminals and that is well-recognised.”
A breeding bird survey carried out in 2024 found 164 pairs of 38 species of birds including red-listed house sparrows, grey partridges, skylarks and lapwings, used the site. According to the RSPB, lapwing numbers across the country have decreased by 55 per cent since the 1960s.
The species has been listed on the IUCN Red List as ‘near threatened’ since 2016. Nigel said the view of open fields was what drew the couple to the home. He added: “That is what sold this place to us: that peaceful, tranquil, pastoral, typical English countryside.”
According to plans, the 7.2-metre (23.5 ft) long solar panels will rise a maximum of 2.89 metres (9.5 ft) from the ground. If approved, the farm would become the third approved solar farm within a 10km radius in the last six years.
Nigel says the couple are “fully supportive” of renewables and solar – but instead think panels should go on rooftops, above car parks, and on previously developed land.
Enviromena says the farm would deliver a “net biodiversity gain” – quoting University of Cambridge and RSPB research which shows solar farms in East Anglia supported more bird species than nearby arable land.
A spokesperson said the land had “struggled to deliver consistent or profitable yields for the landowner” when used for agricultural purposes. Enviromena says it identified the site before approaching Sir Henry Ropner directly, who agreed to lease the land subject to planning consent, but would not confirm how much money the land was making or losing when used for agricultural purposes, and how much they paid for use of the land.
Land Registry documents say the land was valued at £875,000 back in January 2015. Lee Adams, chief commercial officer at Enviromena, said the company was “committed” to renewable energy projects which support net zero targets and “respect” communities.
He added: “We have engaged with the Fosters on multiple occasions and responded in writing to their request regarding a potential property purchase. Although we explained that this was not possible, we offered to explore whether further refinements to our plans might help address their concerns.”
Sir Henry did not respond to requests made via the Thorp Perrow estate. Enviromena said the landowner had instructed it to respond on their behalf, and offered to take a list of questions to the landowner, which did not receive a direct response.
A company spokesperson added: “Solar farms occupy only a small proportion of the land, leaving scope for significant ecological enhancements. Existing trees and hedgerows will be retained and protected, and further native planting will be introduced to strengthen local habitats and contribute to the wider ecological network. Enviromena is responsible for all planning and communications relating to the project.”
Planning authority North Yorkshire Council said it could not comment on a live application.
