A massive solar farm planned for Nottinghamshire's greenbelt could power 11,200 homes for decades. The large-scale solar farm would use 82.4 hectares of farmland off Asher Lane, Ruddington, to generate a huge amount of renewable power, if Rushcliffe Borough Council approves the plans.
The Fair Oaks Renewable Energy Park would be sited within a fenced area of 75.3 hectares, but panels would only cover 30 hectares of this space. The proposed farm would operate for 40 years before being decommissioned, unless a fresh planning permission was granted for its retention.
The plan's applicant, who expects the total construction cost to be between £46million and £50m, said the proposal would also allow arable land to recover from intensive farming. But Rex Walker, Conservative ward councillor for Gotham, objected to the project by commenting that he did not believe the renewable energy would offset "harm" to the greenbelt.
