Sunnica £600m solar farm approved despite objections

The proposed energy farm will span about 2,500 acres on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border

A 2,500-acre solar farm has been approved by the secretary of state for energy.

Sunnica's £600m energy farm on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border has been given the green light.

A decision on the plans had been delayed several times, including most recently due to the UK general election.

The new energy security secretary, Ed Miliband, said solar power was "crucial to achieving net zero".

Mr Miliband added solar power would provide "an abundant source of cleaner, cheaper energy on the mission towards 2030".

"We will make tough decisions with ambition and urgency – all part of our plan to make the UK a clean energy superpower," he said.

It was detailed in the approval documents that the "benefits of the proposed development outweigh its adverse impacts", despite many objections.

Former West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock was among those who called for the plans to be rejected after he called it "too vast".

'Massive blow'

Richard Rout from Suffolk County Council said he was "shocked" by the decision and said it was "a massive blow" to the area.

"The voices of thousands of local residents, businesses and organisations have not been listened to," he said.

"This scheme will permanently and detrimentally impact the landscape of a vast part of West Suffolk and remove thousands of acres of land from food production."

East Cambridgeshire District Council also previously objected.

A decision on the contentious plans was originally due last September.

Sunnica said in a statement on Friday it was "immensely pleased".

"This important milestone and the decision by the secretary of state has come after many months of intense scrutiny and robust engagement with the planning process, and wider public consultations.

"We will now move forward towards the implementation phase, ultimately allowing us to create clean renewable energy for the UK, and look forward to meeting with local authorities and the wider community to plan the next steps."

The farm could power 172,000 homes and create 1,500 jobs during construction, with 27 full-time jobs to run it, the company has said.

Sunnica said the land used would be decontaminated and returned to its original, largely agricultural, use once the scheme was finished.