PLANS for a 22 acre solar farm just outside of Minety have reached the end of their consultation period.

If the plans go ahead for the site at Lower Moor Farm, it is estimated that over 16,000 solar panels will be installed which would produce a generation capacity of 4.5MW.

The proposal has been submitted by Elgar Middleton, an infrastructure finance advisory and developer of ground based solar photovoltaic farms, based in London and Ross-on-Wye.

Minety Parish Council objected to the proposals, citing a number of causes for concern with the project.

These include the change of use from agricultural land into industrial land, which would result in a loss of grazing land, already in short supply in the area.

Lack of access to the site for heavy goods vehicles has also been cited as an issue as has the proposed ‘feeder route’, which the council has deemed will “damage the fabric of the local infrastructure”.

A target date for the decision on the planning application has been set as November 24.