Controversial solar farm plan set to be approved

A solar farm the size of 55 football pitches is set to be given the green light despite pleas from residents to leave the area as it is.

Some fear the solar farm will spoil the Romney Marsh landscape and argue constructing the panels on "good agricultural land" is "unforgivable".

But developers insist the 16-megawatt facility, which can power more than 10,000 homes a year, will "strengthen the ecosystem, not damage it".

Energy firm Environmena's proposals are being recommended for approval at a meeting of Folkestone and Hythe District Council's (FHDC) planning committee on Tuesday evening.

The 40-hectare (100-acre) site off St Mary's Road, opposite Marten Farm, is currently in agricultural use and will still be used for grazing if the panels are built.

Planning documents submitted to the council by Environmena said the solar farm would support the rural economy through farm diversification.

The documents added that decommissioning after the 40-year operational period would see the land returned to its current condition, if not better.

However, more than 80 residents wrote to FHDC to oppose the plans.

Leanne Etherington said: "Please leave our marsh alone.

"We have an abundance of wildlife that live here and use the marsh as a home and food source."

Pamela Batt said although she supports the use of panels, "using good agricultural land for this purpose is unforgivable".

"Allowing it would set a dangerous precedent for future applications," she says.

"It would destroy a large area of habitat for a variety of species and destroy the quality of the soil for generations to come.

"What hope will there be for tomorrow's young farmers when there is no land left to farm?"

FHDC planning officers' report said the decision was "finely balanced", and the farmland lost was "not the best and most versatile" with "significant weight" being given to the generation of clean energy.

Environmena's chief development officer, Mark Harding, said the land would be carefully managed to restore and enhance habitats through native planting, wildflower meadows and ecological monitoring.

"This project will make a meaningful contribution to the UK's net-zero ambitions while delivering real and lasting benefits for the local environment and community," he said.

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