A solar farm as big as eighty football pitches could be created in the Mendip Hills.
Early proposals have been unveiled for a 58-hectare site in Bishop Sutton to help the UK meet its sustainable energy targets. Currently arable land, sheep would still be able to graze underneath the array, while preventing a more intensive use would allow the land to recover, applicant Regener8 Power says.
The panels would stand up to three metres high and be surrounded by a 2.5-metre-high stock-proof fence.
Regener8 Power says any potential visual impact on the nearby Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty can be mitigated and the site can be restored to its current state after the solar farm’s forty-year lifespan.
Bath and North East Somerset Council will determine if Regener8 Power needs to submit an environmental impact assessment with any future planning application.
Stephen Sumner, LDRS