A new solar panel park which will produce enough electricity to power a small town may be built in rural Wiltshire.

The proposed scheme near Minety, between Swindon and Malmesbury, would produce enough electricity for 2,700 homes, according to developers Ecotricity Generation Limited.

Ecotricity say it could save more than 1,600 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Wiltshire Planning Committee will decide if the plans go ahead on December 23.

If approved, the solar park is to be built on land northwest of Crossing Lane, Lower Moor, Minety and construction would only take between three to six months.

The application is for a temporary period of 40 years.

Ecotricity add this park will play a role in the UK Government’s plans to drive down C02 levels and fight global warming.

They say: “The UK is now committed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Hitting this target will depend on the provision of a range of sources of renewable energy across the UK, including solar power.”

On top of this they say: “The generation of renewable energy reduces reliance on the consumption of fossil fuels, and therefore indirectly contributes to reducing the harmful emissions such as particulate matter (PM10) Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) which are known to be harmful to the health of humans as well as plants and fauna.”

There will be solar panels fixed to steel and aluminium structures up to 3 metres tall.

Perimeter fencing will also be installed along with CCTV monitoring.

Cables will need to run underground to a power station to the south of Crossing Lane.

In February 2019, Wiltshire Council declared a Climate Emergency committing to a target of the county becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

The developers say: “This will ultimately rely on renewable energy schemes such as solar parks being delivered in advance of that date.”

The application says solar parks are temporary in nature and the land will be returned to agricultural use after the permission time ends.

However recently there has been some push back against solar farms including from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who said in August: “On my watch, we will not lose swathes of our best farmland to solar farms. Instead, we should be making sure that solar panels are installed on commercial buildings, on sheds and on properties.”

Solar farm plans are being refused at the highest rate for five years in the UK according to development consultancy Turley.

To comment on the application, click here.