Planning Inspectorate completes solar farm review

An examination by the Planning Inspectorate into a proposal for what could become England's largest solar farm has finished.

The proposed Green Hill Solar Farm, would cover about 2,965 acres (1,200 hectares) of land south and west of Wellingborough and north of Northampton.

It would also extend to include land to the north east of Warrington in Buckinghamshire.

The Planning Inspectorate has until 10 July to put forward a recommendation to Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy security and net zero.

The size of the project means that recommendations for the scheme would be made by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than local planning authorities.

A final decision is expected from Miliband later this year.

The examination stage took more than five months to complete, opening in October and closing in April.

More than 1,200 people and businesses sent comments to the Planning Inspectorate about the plans

Campaigners opposing the proposal argued that solar panels up to 4.5m high could "devastate the Northamptonshire countryside".

Green Hill Solar said the farm would "benefit Britain with clean, secure, low-cost energy".

If the solar farm was approved, construction would begin in 2027 with the aim of providing electricity to homes by 2029, the company said on its website.

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