Dear readers — Are you a NIMBY? I’d argue that most of us are a bit. While we can all agree that new homes and energy security are things we definitely need, many of us would rather have them built anywhere other than in our back yard, thank you very much.
A version of this story is currently playing out over a massive new development in the rural surroundings of the Rother Valley. If the plans are given the go ahead, the Whitestone solar farm would become the biggest in the UK so far, covering 3,500 acres and producing power for 250,000 homes. But locals are asking why they should see their beloved countryside transformed for something that won’t directly benefit their community. Dan Hayes investigates.
Kelham Island Museum’s much loved Victorian Christmas Market returns on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December. The Market invites you to step back in time and experience the charm of a traditional Christmas. With over 80 stalls offering an array of Sheffield-made wares, gifts and food – all hosted in the iconic industrial setting. From brass bands and carollers to Santa’s Grotto and the cosy Millowners Arms, it’s the ideal festive day out. For more information on the event, click the link below.
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🎵 Electric Studios will open in spring 2026 in the building that once hosted the Leadmill. In February, we reported that the Leadmill lost its legal battle with its landlord and would have to vacate the iconic building. At the time, Dominic Madden, whose company Electric Group bought the building in 2016, said he was confident he could get the new venue up and running by September this year, but that date seems to have now been pushed back several months. A report in MusicWeek says Electric Studios will have increased capacity with 1,050 for live gigs and 1,450 for club events. Alan Deadman, co-founder of Tramlines and original member of the Leadmill Arts Cooperative said: “There’s a cyclical thing… Just as the Leadmill venue was a very powerful stimulus in 1980 in the morale of the creative community, the Electric Studios will do that again.”
📈If you’re a policy wonk, you might enjoy the Future North newsletter by JP Spencer, which is all about economics and politics in northern England. In today’s newsletter, Spencer writes about the “mixed picture” of South Yorkshire’s economy, and notes a stat that’s been raising many eyebrows: a huge boost in productivity in Rotherham over just the last two years. “What is driving this increased productivity amid stagnant employment levels?” Spencer asks. What indeed…
📰 GB News has been reported to Ofcom for a broadcast in which it alleged that the average proportion of those charged with sex offences who had “non-British-sounding surnames” was 31% in Sheffield, 51% in Birmingham, 55% in Bradford and 56% in Snaresbrook, London. In the broadcast, the media commentator Martin Johnstone said “We know that the analysis based on names is not scientific” and acknowledged that there was “no doubt the methodology is incomplete” but blamed this on the government’s refusal to release the nationality of defendants appearing in court.
👮 New Home Office data shows South Yorkshire Police recorded 124 hate crimes against transgender people in the year ending March 2025, marking a 2% decrease on 127 previous year. Excluding the Met Police, who changed their crime recording system last year, police forces in England and Wales recorded 3,809 hate crimes against transgender people in the year to March, down 11% from 4,260 the year prior. Maxine Heron, online communications officer at Not A Phase, said: "We hope any decrease in reported hate crimes is the start of a bigger drop in hate crimes against our community.”
A man is out walking his dog on the Kiveton Community Woodland, a beauty spot built on the former slag heap of Kiveton Park Colliery. He has a beanie hat on his head, a long walking stick, and shorts. It’s not really shorts weather. “I’m a journalist and I’m doing a story about the solar farm,” I say. “Well don’t put anything fucking positive about it,” he responds.
As we chat he continues in similarly foul-mouthed fashion, his dog waiting patiently at his feet. “I don’t understand why they don’t put solar on all buildings, there’s a warehouse at Junction 1 of the M18 — it’s fucking massive,” he adds. “Why hasn’t every house got them on, I can’t understand it.” And with that he’s off, his faithful hound bounding along after him.
The Kiveton Community Woodland is situated between Kiveton Park and Harthill, two villages in rural Rotherham. This part of South Yorkshire is a world away from the urban sprawl of Sheffield. Green fields stretch out as far as the eye can see, dotted here and there with farmhouses and horses.
But, this landscape could soon be changing. Last year plans were lodged to build three solar farms stretching from Harthill in the south up the Rother Valley as far as Conisborough in the north. If the plans get the go ahead, Whitestone would cover a vast 3,500 acres, powering 250,000 homes — and, in the process, become the biggest solar farm in the UK.
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