CAMPAIGNERS against the installation of a massive solar farm the size of 114 football pitches will march in protest on Saturday.

If approved, the development near Bramley would power 17,000 homes and save 8,000 cars worth of carbon dioxide.

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The site in Minchens Lane, known as Bramley Frith, is more than 81 hectares in size and spans six fields to the north of the village.

Aardvard EM Limited, which submitted plans to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in December 2020, on behalf of applicants Bramley Solar Ltd, said the solar farm would provide a “reliable source of urgently needed low carbon and renewable energy”.

More than 650 people have objected to the plans, while 21 people have offered their support.

The plans would include enhancements including a forest school and nature area.

Campaigners against the proposals have planned a protest march this Saturday to put pressure on the borough council ahead of its decision on the application.

Posting about the protest on social media, they said: “We don’t have long to stop them.”

The group will gather at Clift Meadow car park at 10.45am for the march and make their way up Minchens Lane.

Campaigners said: “We support solar but just not at this scale and in one location. This is not about protecting a few ‘back yards’, so called nimbyism, it’s about protecting the ever-shrinking landscape around us.

“Solar done well is good, solar done to make installers rich is not. Equally, it’s not about solar or houses, with solar being the preferred option, housing will continue as long as property developers exist.

“If approved, this installation will be in place for at least 40 years and will have been replaced by better technology and energy policy in half that time.

“This is our countryside and it is up to us to either protect it or lose it for generations to come.”

The borough council is expected to make a decision on the plans on April 20.

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