Community-owned solar farm given green light

Enborne residents will benefit from any money made through selling the electricity

Plans for a community-owned solar farm have been given the go-ahead.

Proposals for the farm in Enborne, near Newbury, were unanimously supported by West Berkshire Council's planning committee.

It will be built on the Poors Allotment field, which is held for the community by the Enborne Parish Field Charity.

The electricity generated will supply homes in the village, which has a population of less than 800.

The parish has a primary school, a church and a vineyard

Although owned by the community, the solar farm will be managed through Calleva Community Energy, a not-for-profit community benefit society.

The proposed field site has a historic purpose to provide fuel or energy for the local residents, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Students from Newbury College and local schools will be invited to make educational visits, it said.

Sam Dibas, who chairs the Enborne Parish Field Charity, described it as a "historic day" for the West Berkshire district.