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A council has criticised plans for a major solar farm capable of powering 75,000 homes as ‘disgusting’ and ‘abysmal’.
EcoPower Suffolk is due to submit a formal application to the Government for a solar farm spanning more than 900 hectares on the northern edge of the county, the equivalent of nearly 1,300 football pitches.
At a meeting of Suffolk County Council’s cabinet, councillors set out their concerns for the scheme’s impacts on communities.
Cllr Tristan Gale, the lead for planning, said it was ‘wholly unacceptable’ for the project to be on more than 90 per cent of best quality agricultural land.
He argued the road network in and around Gislingham, Eye, Occold, Stuston and Thrandeston was not appropriate to accommodate the construction of the project.
Cllr Gale said: “The fact that they haven’t taken into any regard the type of farmland they are going to take away from agricultural use is terrible – it’s disgusting, it’s abysmal.
“The roads, the infrastructure surrounding the areas are by far unacceptable for putting any sort of trucks or vehicles across.”
If approved by the Planning Inspectorate, the 250-megawatt solar farm would generate enough electricity to power about 75,000 homes.
A development consent order (DCO) application is expected to be submitted to the Government next year, ahead of a final decision in the autumn of 2028.
It is expected to be fully operational by 2031 and be in place for 40 years.
Construction of the project would start in 2028 and would overlap with the building phase of the Norwich to Tilbury pylon project, raising concerns about the cumulative impacts of both schemes.

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