Plans for solar farm the size of 40 football pitches on Shropshire border

The 5MW solar farm near Whitchurch would produce enough electricity for more than 1,300 homes if plans are approved, say those behind the project.

Applicants Lightsource SPV 34 Ltd said the solar farm would avoid 2,365 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions being produced – the equivalent of taking 526 cars off the road.

But the proposals for 40 acres of land at Fields Farm in Agden have drawn an angry response from conservation campaigners who claim it will "wreck people's enjoyment of the public paths in the area".

It comes after several solar farms were built or approved in Shropshire and the surrounding area in recent years.

Opposition to the Agden plans has been led by the Open Spaces Society – Britain's oldest national conservation body – which fears the development will destroy the environment.

Kate Ashbrook, the society's general secretary, said: "This industrial development will wreck people's enjoyment of the public paths in the area, most notably the bridleways which form the celebrated Bishop Bennet Way through south west Cheshire.

"People come here to enjoy the rural nature of the landscape, not to walk and ride past eyesores.

"Nearby, Whitchurch is a Walkers Are Welcome town which attracts visitors who want to walk in lovely countryside. The development may deter people from coming and thus harm the rural economy here."

Louise Doyle, local OSS member, said: "The development will also affect a bridleway and public footpath which the applicant intends to use as an access route, for the next 30 years.

"They will be fenced off and flanked with CCTV cameras, making these routes really unpleasant."

Documents submitted in support of the application said: "The proposal is for a 5MW solar farm, capable of generating enough clean electricity to power 1,386 typical households.

"The solar farm would avoid 2,365 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions associated with electricity generation each year, thus reducing the carbon footprint of Agden and Tushingham, Macefen and Bradley. This is the equivalent of 526 cars off the road. The proposed development will not have any significant adverse impacts, will not impact on flood risk or drainage, will not significantly affect any heritage assets, will have very limited visual impacts, and will provide ecological benefits by increasing biodiversity on and around the site."

The documents add: "At the end of the solar farm's life the site will be decommissioned, with all infrastructure removed from the site and the site restored to its original condition for future agricultural use."

Cheshire West and Chester Council has yet to rule the application.