An MP has criticised the government for postponing until December the decision on whether to go ahead with one of Europe’s largest solar farms.
The proposed Sunnica Energy Farm would span about 2,500 acres around several villages in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was due to rule on the Sunnica Limited application on 28 September.
West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock said “it should have been rejected”, putting to rest the “huge worry” for residents.
“The development is too big, the scale is too vast and it’s in completely the wrong location. It will turn our beautiful Suffolk villages into industrial zones,” the former Conservative health secretary said.
“Sunnica’s current proposal is not only dangerous but it’s undermining support for renewables, and it needs to go back to the drawing board.”
The new decision deadline is 7 December.
Sunnica said it would continue to provide any necessary information.
The energy farm would be split across three separate sites connected by underground cables to each other and to the National Grid at Burwell substation.
The sites are:
- Sunnica East Site A, near West Row and Mildenhall
- Sunnica East Site B, south of the village of Worlington
- Sunnica West Site A, near Newmarket north of the A14
Sunnica claims the solar farm project would have a 40-year lifespan and the land used would be decontaminated and returned to its original – largely agricultural – use once the scheme is finished.
The company said its solar farm would power 172,000 homes and create 1,500 jobs during construction. Once completed there would be 27 full-time jobs running the farm.
Previously, the planned farm has been criticised for being “wholly out of character” with the surrounding areas.
East Cambridgeshire and Suffolk County Councils both opposed the plans.
A spokesman for Sunnica said: “The UK needs to double the amount of renewable energy it generates by 2050.
“Sunnica would make a significant contribution to this goal. We will continue to work with the Secretary of State to provide them with any information they require to determine our DCO application.”