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Plans for a 124-acre solar farm nestled in the Norfolk countryside are set to be given the green light.
Broadland Council is due to make a decision on a bid to build the farm off Heydon Road in Heydon tomorrow (March 25).
If approved it would power around 7,500 homes in the area a year.
The plans sparked numerous objections from those living nearby, and from Norfolk County councillor Greg Peck who feared covering arable land with solar parks is a “massive threat to our future food supply”.
But despite the concerns, planning officers are recommending the proposal be approved by Broadland’s planning committee.
Grupotec Solar UK submitted its application for the site to the council in July last year, which included the installation of cable routing, fencing, CCTV and the use of the land for 42 years.
The park would be connected to the Salle substation nearby, and it has been estimated that it will power around 7,500 homes and save approximately 13,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
However, a few people have raised concerns that the land the firm proposed to build the facility on has been deemed as “best and most versatile” agricultural land, not poor-quality land.
Councillor Peck said: “With applications for solar parks covering over 22,000 acres of good quality Norfolk farmland having been submitted over the last 12 months, and many more coming forward, this is a massive threat to our future food production.
“Solar panels should be restricted to brownfield sites, on top of buildings, or poor-quality land.”
However, there were also comments in support of the bid, noting that the region needed to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels and the international energy market.
In the delegated report, officers have noted that the land is currently used for production of biofuels crop so their removal would not directly impact food production.
It also said that sheep will be grazing on the land and the project proposes to include the provision of a £600,000 community benefit fund to be distributed to the local community.
The council will discuss the proposal at a planning committee on March 25.
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