Plans for a large solar farm and battery storage facility at Walpole Marsh on the edge of west Norfolk will be discussed by councillors this week.
The farm would occupy agricultural land in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire, with the Cambridgeshire border just a few metres away, over the River Nene.
The facility would have a peak output of 49.9MW, said to be capable of powering the equivalent of more than 10,150 average-sized homes in England.
An application to transform the 78-hectare site - roughly the size of 108 football pitches - was lodged both with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk (BCKLWN) and South Holland District Council (SHDC) - but SHDC has delegated all decision-making to BCKLWN, with a recommendation of approval.
BCKLWN’s officers are themselves recommending the plan be approved by councillors at a planning committee meeting on Thursday, but Walpole Parish Council has objected to the scheme, citing a loss of land for food production and concerns over increased vehicle movements in the area’s rural lanes.
Similar concerns have been raised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in Norfolk.
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