PLANS have been submitted for a huge solar farm the size of about 65 football pitches in a small north Essex village.

BSR Energy has submitted a planning application to Braintree Council for the delivery of a 49.99MW solar development on land at Baker’s Road in Belchamp St Paul.

The proposal says the farm, which measures about 130 acres, could power the equivalent of 12,500 homes every year.

The main site is comprised of a series of adjoining agricultural field parcels, with boundary hedgerows and trees located at intervals throughout.

BSR Energy has highlighted “a recognised need for green energy production in the area”, with Braintree Council declaring a climate emergency in 2019, along with its goal to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The planning application follows an extensive five-week consultation period with the local community, which included an in-person consultation event and engagement with a variety of stakeholders.

The company says less than 10 per cent expressed strong views against the proposals with the majority of respondents either expressing neutral views or support for the delivery of solar at the site.

Concerns raised mainly centred around the perceived visual impact of the development, the impact on, and suitability of, the local road network for construction traffic, and the belief the land should remain in agricultural use.

In light of the feedback received, the project team says they have “carefully considered" any amendments to the proposals which would seek to "further mitigate any perceived negative impacts of a solar development in this location”.

This included the removal of the second construction compound to the north east of the site and the addition of planting to reduce any visual impacts of the development.

BSR senior project manager Sarah Hymas said: “BSR is excited to have submitted a planning application to Braintree Council following a positive consultation with the community.

 “Should planning permission be granted, the land can be reverted back to agricultural use at the end of its 40-year operational lifespan with no detrimental impact to the quality of the land - something we hope will be a comfort to those respondents who were keen for the land to be returned to agricultural use.

“We look forward to continuing to engage positively with stakeholders and the council as the determination of the application progresses.”