Petition challenges England's biggest solar farm plan

A petition opposing plans for what could become England's largest solar farm has been delivered to Downing Street.

Sarah Bool and Stuart Andrew, the Conservative MPs for South Northamptonshire and Daventry respectively, joined local campaigners from Stop Green Hill Solar to submit the petition - signed by 1,636 people - to Downing Street.

The proposed Green Hill Solar Farm would cover about 2,965 acres (1,200 hectares) of land south and west of Wellingborough and north of Northampton.

It would also extend to include land to the north east of Warrington in Buckinghamshire.

Speaking to BBC Northampton, Juliet Jarvis, who signed the petition, said: "We're not NIMBYs [Not In My Back Yard] and we're not saying we don't want renewable energy.

"We're saying this is entirely the wrong scale and size of solar farm, and it's going in the wrong place in Northamptonshire."

The proposals are currently being examined by the Planning Inspectorate, with a final decision expected from the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, later this year.

Campaigners argue that solar panels up to 4.5 metres high could "devastate the Northamptonshire countryside".

Sarah Bool said: "This development will cover swathes of prime agricultural land in solar panels at a time when we should be prioritising food security as a key tenet of national security.

"The reasons to oppose this development are extensive and the voices of residents loud."

Stuart Andrew added that the "sheer size and scale" would have a major impact on the countryside and warned of losing agricultural land at a time of global uncertainty.

Green Hill Solar said the farm would "benefit Britain with clean, secure, low-cost energy."

According to its website, if the solar farm is approved, construction would begin in 2027 with the aim of providing electricity to homes by 2029.

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