Plans for a solar farm close to Nantwich which could power over 6,500 homes annually have received unanimous backing.
Noventum Power Ltd is set on building and managing the solar installation on a 17.5-hectare site within the open landscape of Hatherton Lodge Farm, off Hunsterson Road.
The proposal involves positioning photovoltaic (PV) panels over four fields with an expected generation capacity of around 12MW.
Ward Councillor Janet Clowes (Con), appearing as a visiting member at last Wednesday's session of the strategic planning board, said: "It must be noted that all energy generated by this project is to go directly into the grid via the connection point of the A529.
"Local residents receive no direct benefit from this project, but they do have to put up with a loss of amenity to their public rights of way and views and vistas for a whole generation, together with the loss of amenity during construction period and again when the cable is installed, depending on the route."
She extended thanks to the firm for engaging with parish councils on the initiative and requested continuing updates for councillors throughout the installation process.
Hatherton and Walgherton Parish Council chairman Cllr Chris Knibbs voiced concerns about the effects on local ecology, saying it 'has been completely underplayed in the whole of the documents'.
He told the meeting: "It will seriously upset the ecological balance, and nobody knows how much damage to the ecology and biodiversity will happen."
The site in question has a history of development proposals. In 2015, Cheshire East rejected an application from a different party for the installation of a solar farm with an output of approximately 8.28MW.
However, this decision was overturned on appeal the following year. Despite this, the project was never realised and the permission expired in February 2019.
Planning board members have shown support for the latest proposal. Willaston councillor Allen Gage (Con) said: "In general I'm quite supportive of this. National energy security is something that I'm quite keen to see advanced."
Knutsford councillor Stewart Gardiner (Con), who seconded the approval, added: "We have to recognise that the starting point for consideration of this application is that it was granted at appeal therefore if we, as a council, were to reject this, we would be open to cost applications."
He did, however, emphasise the need to consider the concerns of the parish council regarding ecology and commended the applicant's positive engagement.
Cllr Garnet Marshall (Middlewich, Ind) said: "I hate solar panels with a passion when I see them but I was immediately taken by the fact that I won't see these and neither will anybody else because they're actually in a valley."
Labour Councillor Heather Seddon, representing Congleton, said: "We know that climate change is happening so we need renewable energy sources.
"It's also important that we've got security in energy production in a more insecure world, so there are hundreds of reasons why this is a positive thing."
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