Plans to build a solar farm as big as 40 football pitches have been submitted to Chichester District Council.
The application has been submitted by BNRG Langmead, a joint venture between the Langmead Group farming business and BNRG Renewables.
It seeks permission to set up ground-mounted solar panels covering a total of 33 hectares or just over 81 acres on land next to Lime Kiln Barn, in Runcton, just east of South Mundham.
If approved, the 30MW set-up would generate enough energy to power 9,000 homes a year while reducing atmospheric CO2 emissions by more than 6,500 tonnes a year.
The panels would be split into two groups across a 49-hectare site of arable land east of Runcton Lane, with 16 hectares in between them.
They would be elevated about 60cm or 2ft above the ground at the front with a maximum overall height of around 3m or 10ft at the back.
The council has already received a number of objections to the plans.
The concerns raised included the disruption during a construction period of 12 to 18 months, the loss of arable land and the effects of two such large sites on wildlife.
One objector said that the applicant wanted to turn the land into “money-making bacofoil covered fields”.
Regarding the traffic concerns, the applicant said: “Construction traffic will be kept to a practicable minimum, with projected HGV movements to be c8-12 HGVs per week – which is similar to those already experienced as part of the permitted use, during harvest season.”
A design statement submitted with the application added: “The proposal has a design life of 40 years.
“It is a temporary use of the land and all parts of the installation are reversible.
“It is anticipated that the quality of the soil and biodiversity content would be significantly improved over the current status.”
The same partnership has built five other solar farms in West Sussex at Manor Farm, Lagness, Bilsham Farm and two at Ferry Farm although the latest site is their biggest locally to date.
To view the application, log on to publicaccess.chichester.gov.uk and search for 24/01859/FUL.
