Proposals for a new solar farm in Wiltshire have received widespread support. 

Renewable energy company JBM Solar says it could provide enough energy for 15,000 homes and prevent more than 850,000 tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.

The farm would be at Minety’s National Grid Substation, and JMB added that it would make "a major contribution towards Wiltshire’s net zero target".

Council officers have recommended that the planning application is approved after the developer reduced the scale of the solar farm by 20 per cent in response to feedback.

The proposal is for a 49.9MW solar farm and battery storage facility on a 218-acre site at Minety substation, utilising available capacity on the National Grid substation.

The applicants say the scheme would also deliver a 33 per cent increase in biodiversity, with 60 new trees, 1km of new hedgerows, and six acres of butterfly meadow.

In addition, the scheme will provide permanent pasture for sheep grazing over a 40 year period.

JBM Solar has already committed to investing in two other farms delegated for approval last year, one on the northern edge of Swindon, and the other south of Chippenham.

Should permission be granted at Minety, they say the three solar farms would have enough capacity to provide energy for 45,000 homes, and would divert 2.5 million tonnes of CO2, making a significant intervention in the fight against climate change.

So far 108 residents have signed a letter of support. This includes local, professional ecologist, Piers Mobsby, who said: “I support the planned solar farm for Minety because it will help reduce emissions, something urgently needed in the face of climate change.

"Having worked professionally as an ecologist, I believe the plans for wildflower grassland will supplement the biodiversity of these habitats.”

Biddestone Parish Council also champions the project.

Chairman Adam Walton said: “Biddestone Parish Council supports the development of the Minety solar farm. We recognise the urgency of the UK moving to 100 per cent renewable energy generation to address the climate emergency, and large scale solar is an essential part of this.

“We are reassured by the developer's plans to mitigate the visual impact of the site and to deliver a significant net biodiversity gain, while allowing the low-grade agricultural land to continue to be used for sheep grazing.”

Members of Wiltshire Council’s strategic planning committee will decide to approve or refuse the application when the committee meets on Wednesday, April 6.