James Hodson says his home would be surrounded by solar panels in all directions
Concerns have been raised that a large solar farm would surround homes in a village in Derbyshire if it is approved.
British Solar Renewables (BSR) has submitted an application to install panels on almost 300 acres (121 hectares) of farmland in Brailsford, between Derby and Ashbourne.
James Hodson, who has lived at Top Wild Park Farm for 28 years, said accessing his home would be "like entering a prison" due to high fences and security lights.
Plans show there would be solar panels in every direction from his home, but BSR said it has reached out to residents affected and would create a £275,000 fund for the local community.
James Hodson said his home, circled in red, would be surrounded by panels
Hodson and his neighbours said they were proud of the views from their homes.
Now, they are campaigning to stop the fields being turned over to solar panels.
"We're going to be surrounded by the development which has 8ft (2.4m) fences and security lights around it," said Hodson.
"Our entrance down the lane will be through a fence tunnel so it will essentially be like entering a prison."
Jennifer Smith said she felt overwhelmed by the plans
Hodson's neighbour Jennifer Smith said she had felt overwhelmed since the solar proposals were first announced.
She said her home would also be surrounded by the panels.
"The views are irreplaceable, we'll never have them back again and once this land has gone they're not making any more," she said.
"It's vast, a large industrial area that's going to cover most of the land around the Mercaston Estate, and it will massively reduce the enjoyment of the area."
The proposal would see almost 300 acres of farmland turned over to solar panels
About 70 villagers attended a public meeting at Brailsford Golf Course where Hodson urged people to lodge their opposition with Derbyshire Dales District Council, which will decide whether to give the project the go-ahead.
Carla Hardaker, development director at BSR, said the company was keen to work with the community.
"We originate, develop, build and then operate and maintain all of our own projects, so we do recognise that we are going to be neighbours in the communities that we go into for typically 40 years," she said.
"In order to manage these relationships we are out on site and we carry out very robust surveys as part of the application to ensure that we're in an appropriate environment or we've selected an appropriate site."
Handmade signs have been erected on the side of the A52 through Brailsford
Hardaker added that the company reached out individually to residents most affected by the plans prior to going to public consultation in December 2025.
"We identified there is a higher level of impact to them. As a result of speaking to them and understanding their concerns we reduced the size of the park overall, with particular focus on the areas around their property," she said.
"We were able to remove panels just to create a further offset between their properties and where the development may begin."
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