A HUGE solar farm to power more than 4,000 homes will be built in south Essex after plans were given the green light.

Basildon Council has approved plans for Enso Energy to install the large solar farm and battery storage facility near Barleylands, Billericay.

The energy firm will also install underground cabling from the proposed solar farm across south Essex to a substation in Rayleigh.

Once fully constructed the solar farm, which is being created on green belt land, will generate enough electricity to power 4,250 homes across south Essex.

Phil Turner, Conservative councillor responsible for Billericay West, was disappointed to hear about the approval of the solar farm.

He said: “I think it just shows that the lack of care and attention that people are taking over the green belt.

“It is far too easy for people to say, we have got to get with the green agenda, and renewable energy, it is what the world needs, but actually we need to stop and think.

“There are alternatives to this, using high buildings, or other sites, that aren’t green belt.

“I am concerned that we are making these decisions for the wrong reasons.

“If there weren’t any alternatives, then you would have to say there is not much else we can do, but there are other places.

“It is far to easy to tear up our countryside, and put in these solar farms, at the expense of farming and green belt.

“It is disappointing.”

The applicant had previous planning application refused back in March 2023, for a larger solar farm to power more than 12,000 homes a year.

At the time, plans were refused after the council stated it was “inappropriate development” on the green belt.

These new plans have been scaled down to only be located on the land south east of Coxes Farm Road and on land west of the A129.

According to the documents by the applicant, the anticipated CO2 displacement is around 3,271 tonnes per year, which represents an emission saving equivalent of a reduction in approximately 1,139 cars on the road every year.