Solar farm plans to power 12,000 homes near Braintree

A solar farm large enough to power 12,000 homes is being proposed for agricultural land in Essex.

British Solar Renewables wants to develop about 50 hectares (120 acres) of land north west of Belchamp St Paul, near Braintree.

The company is in discussions with Braintree District Council about the farm, which would have a capacity of 50MW.

The site would have a lifespan of 40 years before reverting to arable use.

If permitted, it could mean two large solar farms being built within about 1.8 miles (3km) of each other after permission was granted in 2020 for a 22MW solar farm on land off Pentlow Hill, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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