Plans for large solar farm on fields near village

The planned solar panels would be mounted on a metal framework that would be easily removable when it comes to decommissioning

A solar farm the size of more than 100 football pitches could be created on fields south of Leicester.

Soars Solar Ltd has submitted a proposal for the farm on 201 acres (81 hectares) of land at Soars Lodge Farm in Foston.

The application indicates the development would have an operational life of 40 years, after which time the equipment would be removed and the land restored to its original farmland condition.

It would have an export capacity of up to 49.8MW, which would power about 12,000 homes per year, planning documents sent to Blaby District Council state.

The applicant submitted the plans after running several public consultation events between July and August last year.

This included a leaflet drop to more than 3,000 properties in the Countesthorpe area, with the application site sitting east of the village.

The consultation, which also included an in-person exhibition at Countesthorpe Village Hall in August 2023, found some residents had flagged concerns about the solar farm’s visual impacts, as well as potential traffic congestion during its construction.

Others raised ethical concerns about where the solar panels were being sourced, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The applicant said 35 of the 71 responses were “supportive” of the scheme.

Documents note the fixed solar panels would be south facing at a maximum height of 8.3ft (2.53m) above ground level.

Soars Solar Ltd noted the site would continue to be used for agricultural purposes during the lifespan of the solar panels, with sheep grazing the land between and around them.

Two objections have been raised on the council’s planning portal, however, the council does not allow the public to see the detail of the objections.