A huge solar farm will be built in Cornwall despite the plans initially being blocked by the county council.
Investment management firm Downing Renewable Developments (DRD) secured planning permission for the Fair Park development near Carland Cross on appeal.
The 125,000-panel solar farm and battery energy storage system, which faced significant opposition from local people, will be able to deliver up to 49.9MW and will operate for 30 years.
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It will be built on 80 hectares of agricultural land between Mitchell, Trispen, St Erme and Carland Cross.
DRD said there would still be "ongoing sheep grazing" and it would make "biodiversity enhancements" including planting new hedgerows and wildflower meadows, and making habitat improvements.
It added that "comprehensive measures" to protect local wildlife, watercourses, and a site of special scientific interest nearby had also been proposed. It will provide free solar rooftop installations to nearby residents to directly reduce their energy costs.
The project, which builds on DRD’s existing 6GW pipeline of 海角视频 renewable development projects, will create jobs during construction phase.
Tony Gannon, head of Downing Renewable Developments, said: “We are delighted to have obtained planning consent for our Fair Park solar project, which will make a valuable contribution to helping meet both national and Cornwall Net Zero targets.
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“In addition, it also delivers a significant community benefit programme which provides those closest to the development with lower cost energy through our free domestic solar rooftop initiative.”
Rosalyn Kirby, who heard the solar farm in September, ruled the proposed development "would not result in harmful cumulative effects upon the landscape".
She also said the land would be returned to arable food production after the 30-year operational period.
"I am persuaded that there would be wider public benefits of the scheme of sufficient magnitude to outweigh the less than substantial harm that would be caused to each of the identified designated heritage assets and the considerable importance that this carries," she added.