Football club reduces size of planned solar farm
BBCA football club has submitted altered plans for a solar farm after an initial design sparked backlash.
Sunderland AFC has reduced the size of the farm it has proposed building next to its training ground in Cleadon, South Tyneside.
The site encompasses 118 acres (48 hectares) of greenbelt land which campaigners have argued could destroy a wildlife corridor.
The club said it would remove more than 1,700 panels from the farm and put a waterbody in place to ensure "important habitat is retained".
Earlier plans for the solar farm were criticised by local resident Nigel Bundred, who started a petition against the scheme.
At the time, the football club said the farm had the potential to generate the annual electrical needs of about 12,120 family homes in South Tyneside and Sunderland.
Under the new plans, the number has dropped to 9,421.
The move comes following reports of avocets on the site.
A report commissioned by the club, at the request of South Tyneside Council, found the birds, which are on the UK conservation status amber list, were attracted to a waterbody on the land.
The solar farm's designers said they could not retain the waterbody as it would be difficult to carry out emergency maintenance work on the panels.
Instead they have proposed creating a new waterbody for the birds on another part of the land, while reducing the size of the solar farm.
Mr Bundred said he was still not happy with the new designs and the number of people who had signed his petition had climbed to more than 2,000.
It is unclear when the plans are set to be considered by South Tyneside Council.