A SOLAR farm the size of 20 football pitches could soon be built on the edge of Chard.

It would be built on land south of the A30, between Palfrey’s Lane and Snowdon Hill and developers Vogt Solar say it would provide enough energy for more than 2,200 homes.

The plans will go on show at the Cotley Inn in Wambrook today (Wednesday).

Cllr Tony Prior, who chairs Chard Town Council’s planning committee, said: “While I am in favour of solar and wind power, every case has to be examined on its own merit.

“Even though this is not in Chard, the town council will no doubt be asked to comment on it.”

Sarah Bower, from Vogt Solar, said it was planned to use the site for 25 years and then remove the solar panels, returning the fields to their current use.

She said the solar panels were low-lying and the site had hedgerows blocking the panels from view.

She added: “We will look to use local companies for the build and maintenance of the solar farm where possible, as well as o t h e r local services such as accommodation during the construction phase.”

Vogt Solar said log piles and bird boxes would be installed to create a natural habitat that encouraged rare fauna and flora.

A typical solar farm takes eight to 12 weeks to build and the likely route for vehicles during construction would be from the A30.

The site would be accessed from the existing field gate off the lane by Snowdon Hill Farm and the structure would be fixed into the ground using poles rather than concrete bases.

The 27-acre farm would produce 8.16 megawatts of power, which Vogt Solar says could provide clean, safe, renewable energy for 2,273 homes.

The public exhibition at the Cotley Inn is from 3-7pm.

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