Headland Hotel in Newquay plans to install 464 solar panels

The panels would be on land behind the hotel, looking from the sea

One of Cornwall's best-known and most prominent hotels wants to put 464 solar panels on grass within its grounds.

The five-star Headland Hotel overlooks Fistral Beach in Newquay and has submitted a planning application with Cornwall Council.

The hotel said the power generated would be for its own use and it was "incredibly conscious" of its impact on the environment.

Opponents said the array would be visually harmful to the area.

The plans are set to be discussed by the council's central sub-area planning committee on Monday.

The Victorian Grade II listed hotel is a well-known landmark and famous for its role as a setting for the 1990 film adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Witches.

In recent years, the hotel has developed a new £10m aquatic centre and additional accommodation

The proposal is for 464 photo voltaic panels in five rows over an area of more than 4,900sq ft (459sq m), within the grounds of the hotel on Towan Head.

It would surrounded by 6.5ft (2m) high fencing and has an anticipated lifespan of up to 25 years.

Within the council documents, the applicant said: "At The Headland, we're incredibly conscious of our impact on the environment, the landscape and most importantly to us, our local community."

It said it was a "high consumer of energy and water" and was taking steps to reduce this.

It added that staff had have done what they could to upgrade the "125-year-old clifftop building", and had reduced use of natural gas by 40%, electricity by 18%, and water by 13%.

It added that it hoped the array would reduce its carbon footprint by up to 70 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, and cut National Grid reliance by 30%.

It said: "The system is solely designed for our own consumption with nothing being sold back to the grid.

"While we appreciate there will be an impact on the landscape, we believe the benefit of the system to help us reduce our carbon footprint outweighs the visual element."

The proposal is for panels in five rows within the grounds of the hotel on Towan Head

Among objectors is Newquay Town Council, which said "members agreed it was highly likely the proposals would have a harmful effect on the visual amenity of this important landscape".

It added: "Members continue to welcome investment in renewable energy sources, but the scale of the proposed array is considered inappropriate for this particular location and cannot be supported by the town council."

In January, the council said its members "fully applaud the intention to reduce the carbon footprint of the Hotel through investment in renewable energy sources" but had withdrawn support after seeing updated plans.

Concerns have also been raised by the Victorian Society charity, which said "the installation of so many solar PV panels in such a prominent location would harm the setting of the listed building".

There are 30 comments on the council's planning applications website, all of which oppose the plans.

Issues repeatedly raised include the visual impact, glare affecting aircraft, impact on nature, site overdevelopment, and the lack of a visual impact assessment.

The Cornwall Council officer handing the application has recommended its approval, saying "the merits of the proposal outweigh the harm".