West Berkshire council submits plans to build £12m solar farm

The council wants to build the solar farm on land it owns at Bloomfield Hatch Farm

Plans for a £12m council-run solar farm, large enough to power about 7,800 homes each year, have been submitted.

West Berkshire Council wants to put up to 60,000 panels on 75 acres (30 hectares) of land it owns at Bloomfield Hatch Farm, near Grazeley.

The site, which is about four miles (6km) south of Reading, would have a lifespan of 30 years.

The authority said if the plans get the go ahead by August 2022 work could start by September 2023.

The cost to build the West Berkshire Council-funded solar farm has gone up by £2m from its original estimate of £10m in January 2021, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council said a feasibility study found the solar farm would offset about 30% of its carbon footprint.