'Install solar panels on roofs, not on green fields,' is the message of Kilmersdon's Jack and Jill Hill Preservation Society, who are nervously awaiting a 35-acre solar farm planning application to go to Mendip District Council. INRG Solar Ltd., supported by development consultancy, Pegasus Group, are looking to build a solar power farm on prime agricultural land between the top of Jack and Jill Hill and which stretches out towards the boundary with Haydon.

The land is currently farmed organically by a tenant farmer with a dairy herd which produces premium quality, organic milk. The field in question has changed location, as INRG claimed the previous site to be 'too visible'. However, the society argue that this location will not only be visible to residents living in Kilmersdon, Charlton and Haydon, but also to vehicles travelling from high ground and will be a blot on the landscape. The group also have concerns about traffic to and from the site and outside the school whilst construction takes place and fear the green fields will look like a prison – with fences and CCTV around the site to protect the valuable panels.

If the scheme were to go ahead, solar power stations can be in place for up to 25 years, with only room for sheep to graze in between, although with security in place, it is unclear how this would work. The panels are usually over eight feet high to capture the sun's rays and once the land has been used in this way and the solar farm has been deconstructed, it would revert to brownfield status and no longer be able to be classed for organic farming use. Residents fear the threat of house-building then ensues.

The group are also concerned that should this application be granted, the solar farm could expand, or encourage more applications in the area – permission was most recently granted at Clapton and another refused at Hunstrete by B&NES Council.

The proposed development could have the potential to generate up to 5.1MW of power annually, equating to the annual energy consumption of 1,200 households.

Attempts to contact the company by both the Jack and Jill Hill Preservation Society and The Journal have been unsuccessful, however, representatives did speak at a public meeting held in March. The land in question belongs to the Kilmersdon estate and Andrew Jolliffe, the current custodian, said that he has been assured that all letters received by INRG will be responded to. He also met with Steve Mansergh, Chair of the Jack and Jill Preservation Society, on Tuesday this week to discuss concerns and ways in which mitigating tree and hedge planting can be put in if planning permission is granted, which INRG hopes to be in a position to lodge with Mendip District Council before the end of July.

The Jack and Jill Hill Society, who have received support from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and the Open Spaces Society, have now collected over 150 signatures in a petition that they will present to B&NES Council's Cabinet Meeting this Wednesday to request that when an application is received, B&NES' Planning Department co-ordinate and co-operate with Mendip District Council as the area in question is right on the boundary at Haydon. A meeting for concerned residents is being held at Coles Garden, a village meeting room near Kilmersdon Village Hall, at 7.30 p.m. on 16th June. To sign the online petition, visit: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/jack-and-jill-hill-preservation-society-opposed-site-of-solar-panels">www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/jack-and-jill-hill-preservation-society-opposed-site-of-solar-panels or visit: http://www.jackandjillhillpreservationsociety.org">www.jackandjillhillpreservationsociety.org

Villagers are hoping that recent news may make the development less attractive, with the EU deciding to impose an initial tax of 11.8% on imports of solar panels from China, who make 80% of the world's solar panels. If an agreement cannot be reached by August, this tax could soar up to 47%, which could push up the price of renewable energy. Equally, it could mean a rush of applications to get panels in place before this happens.