Plans for a solar farm in Twigworth will be discussed by Tewkesbury Borough Council's Planning Committee next week (April 23).

The proposed development at Twigworth Court Farm could provide enough annual electricity for nearly 5,000 homes.

Council officers are recommending the committee approves the development, which will consist of 38,000 photovoltaic panels and export up to 16 MW (AC) electricity.

The application site is approximately 26ha of flat, grassed agricultural land, bounded on its western edge by Cox's Brook and on the southern edge by Broadboard Brook. It is 1.2km from the north-east to south-west corners and is made up of five agricultural fields enclosed by hedgerow.

The site lies within Twigworth parish, with a small section to the south within Longford Parish.

Authorities and stakeholders, including the Environment Agency, Natural England, Historic England and Gloucestershire County Council's Highways department, have raised no objections to the plans.

But objections have been raised by both Twigworth Parish Council and Longford Parish Council. Issues include the visual impact of the development; the proximity to residential properties; loss of arable land; loss of wildlife habitats; and the impact of traffic.

There were also 12 objections raised by local people, including the visibility of the proposed development; the flood risk; loss of agricultural land; the risk of further expansion of the proposed solar farm; and loss of green space.

The land is almost entirely within Flood Zone 3 (highest risk of flooding), according to Environment Agency Flood Maps. But lying withing Flood Zone 3 isn't a reason to turn down the planning application.

A Site Suitability Investigation of the Alternative Site Assessment (ASA) failed to find a better alternative site for the solar farm in either Flood Zone 1 or Flood Zone 2 in the area.

The height above ground of the proposed panels takes considers the flood risk in the area - a maximum of 4.3m where flood water depth is likely to be at its highest and 1.8m in the field where the depth of flood water would be least.

The maximum predicted flood water depth includes a margin taking into account predicted climate change impacts, and an additional 300mm as requested by the Environment Agency. This is 500mm above the highest recorded flood level in the area, in July 2007.

The proposed development would cover approximately 69% of total arable land and 12.4% of the overall farmland on the site.

The application site is classified as Grade 3b agricultural land - capable of producing moderate yields of a narrow range of crops, principally cereals and grass, or lower yields of a wider range of crops or high yields of grass which can be grazed or harvested over most of the year. This isn't Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land, as defined by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), so there is no planning conflict with using the land for a solar farm.

Tewkesbury Borough Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019. The proposed solar farm would produce enough electricity to supply the average annual electricity needs of around 4,955 households, supporting the borough's transition to a low carbon economy.

Officers recommend planning permission be granted, subject to conditions, as the harms of the development won't outweigh the significant benefits of renewable energy generation.