RAF Desborough: Solar farm plan for ex-WW2 airbase

RAF Desborough was an airbase between 1943 and 1953

Plans to turn a former World War Two airfield in Northamptonshire into a solar farm with hundreds of solar panels have been submitted.

Northfield UK Solar's subsidiary company RAF Desb plans to install the panels on a 276 acre (112 hectare) site at RAF Desborough.

The firm aims to generate electricity for about 15,000 homes per year.

The planning application has been submitted to Kettering Council, with a decision expected by the end of July.

The scheme also includes a number of buildings involved in the production of electricity and deer fencing to restrict access and "protect the scheme from theft and vandalism".

The firm aims to produce nearly 50 megawatts of electricity each year, enough to power about 15,000 homes

RAF Desborough was an airbase between 1943 and 1953.

The agent for the developers, Peter Brett Associates, said in a report to the council that the UK is committed to providing 15% of its energy from renewable source by 2020 and this solar farm would make an "important contribution".