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MPs join march against Sunnica solar farm in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

Andrew Sinclair/BBC Matt Hancock and Lucy Frazer walking at front of protest against Sunnica solar farmAndrew Sinclair/BBC
Local MPs Matt Hancock and Lucy Frazer joined protesters to march against a proposed new solar farm

About 200 protesters including MPs Matt Hancock and Lucy Frazer have marched against plans for a large solar farm that could power 172,000 homes.

Energy firm Sunnica wants to build the project that would span 1,130 hectares (2,792 acres) around several villages in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

The protest started in Mildenhall before heading to Worlington.

In its application, Sunnica said the plans helped to meet the "national need for new, renewable means of energy".

West Suffolk Council's cabinet agreed to object to the proposals in its response to a consultation this week.

Residents have said they were concerned about the size of the site, the location and the use of arable land.

The affected villages would be Mildenhall, Freckenham, Worlington, Barton Mills and Red Lodge in Suffolk; and Chippenham, Snailwell, Fordham and Burwell in Cambridgeshire.

Sunnica solar farmSunnica
Sunnica wants to create a giant solar energy farm on land spanning the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border

Conservative MP for West Suffolk, Mr Hancock, said: "People here support solar in the right place but there's been no engagement at all about where this should be."

"This is too big, the scale is too vast and that's why you can see the strength of feeling," said fellow Conservative South East Cambridgeshire MP, Ms Frazer.

Proposals were submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in November and accepted for consultation for an examination period to begin this spring.

That is expected to last six months, with a decision then being taken by the government as a nationally significant infrastructure project, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Suffolk County Council has described the scheme as "substandard" and villagers have set up a Say No To Sunnica group.

Sunnica previously said the project was essential if the UK was to meet its net zero greenhouse gas target by 2050.

In its application, it said the plans "represent an important opportunity to help meet the urgent national need for new, renewable means of energy generation".

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