LAND equal to the size of 18 football pitches in Watchet is being considered for a solar park.

A proposed screening process of 32 acres of land at Lower Bye Farm between Washford and Watchet has been submitted to West Somerset Council.

A screening proposal must be carried out to decide whether the land requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which will determine what effect the proposed solar park would have on the land.

The document submitted to the council argues that installing a solar park on the agricultural land may “limit the usage of the site to smaller livestock” but also could “provide shelter and marginal habitat for some species”.

The panels would be about 1.8-2.8 metres above ground level and are predicted to have a lifespan of 25 years. A spokesperson from Aspire Planning, the agent which submitted the screening proposal, said: “The submission made to West Somerset is only a screening opinion request; it is not a planning application and nor does it mean a planning application will be submitted now or in the future.

“The site is in such an early stage and may never proceed.”

Watchet town councillor Peter Murphy said: “Although this doesn’t fall under the parish [Watchet], it does concern me how the panels will be transported to the site.

“The thought of high numbers of HGVs travelling through Watchet town centre could be damaging for the town.

“As the site is near the railway it seems it would make much more sense for the panels to be transported that way. “We are yet to discuss the issue at a council meeting.”