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Idyllic land featured in the famous 1974 film Akenfield could be damaged by plans for a solar farm on 90 hectares of agricultural land, campaigners have warned.
Developer QC Otranto Limited is planning to build the solar farm, which will generate enough power for 15,150 homes, on parcels of land to the north west of Easton and south west of Letheringham, but concerns have been raised about the impact on land used in the film.
Opponents of the plans say the solar panels will be sited just 10 metres away from land that appeared in scenes from Sir Peter Hall’s classic movie in The Street at Letheringham.
The film tells the story of a farming family who lived for generations in a village based in Charsfield and its surrounding villages.
The cast was not drawn from professional actors, but instead from Suffolk villagers.
A real-life local man – Garrow Shand – played three central roles as farmhand Tom Rouse, his father and his grandfather.
The film documents how they struggle through great poverty, physical hardship and the pressures of mechanisation, two world wars and a rapidly changing society.
The film was based on a best-selling book called Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village, which was written by Ronald Blythe – who died in January 2024 – and published in 1969.
The book was translated into 20 languages and the film was seen by 14 million people when it aired on both terrestrial TV and in the cinema.
The plans for the solar farm, which would have a generating capacity of 49.9MW, have attracted 477 objections, most from villagers expressing concerns about a loss of productive arable land, as well as visual impacts and impacts on biodiversity and wildlife.
The plans, which include a Battery Energy Storage System with a capacity of 50MW, were submitted to East Suffolk Council in July.
The Stop Deben Solar Action Group was formed to oppose the plans to locate the solar farm at the Letheringham site, though not the principle of solar farms.
A campaigner from the group said: “It is a historical village. This is the Deben valley, a beautiful area of Suffolk. It is full of heritage.
“It is a shame that the landlord and the developers are all determined to push through this huge energy generating project and the views of the inhabitants are hardly taken into consideration.”
He said the solar farm could be moved to land nearby that was not in the village.
Tammie McNeill runs Sandy Lane Kennels at Seven Spar Hall in Charsfield and has written to object to the solar farm, which she said would “wrap around” her kennels and cause disturbance to her dogs.
Of the decision to site it near the film set, she said: “It is sad – things do move on, but we have got to keep our history, especially in a beautiful location that was chosen to represent a beautiful English village in the film.
“Why put a horrific solar farm, not just the solar farm, but the whole battery store unit, next to an ancient woodland. It is just going to be horrific to be honest.”
A spokeswoman for the developer said: “River Deben Solar is a proposed solar farm and battery storage facility, near Letheringham, designed to strengthen the UK’s energy security by generating enough renewable electricity to power the equivalent of 15,150 homes each year.
“By producing clean energy locally and storing it for use during peak demand, the project will help reduce reliance on imported fuels and will improve resilience against energy price volatility and supply disruptions.
“The scheme has been refined thanks to feedback from residents, parish councils and the local planning authority.
“Changes incorporated include wider buffers to woodlands and sensitive habitats, and the removal of some panels to reduce visual impact.
“In addition to supporting a more secure energy system, the project delivers ecological enhancements such as new hedgerows and native tree planting, achieving biodiversity net gains well above the required 10%.
“A community benefit fund of £22,455 annually (index-linked) – totalling £898,200 – will support local initiatives throughout the project’s lifetime.”
Akenfield film facts:
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