Controversial plans for a huge solar farm have been given the green light.

Councillors at Eastleigh Borough Council tonight gave the go-ahead for the 370 acre project on Allington Lane.

Around 65,000 solar panels will be installed across three fields – although a timeframe for installation is yet to be determined.

The debt-laden authority wants to create power for 11,000 homes per year with the project.

However, the lifespan of each solar panel is only 35 years, meaning another application may need to be submitted in the future if the council wants to retain the farm.

The scheme – which will cost the council a hefty £22.4million – will see solar panels provide up to 27 MW of electricity.

But in a time where technology is constantly evolving, Cllr Bruce Tennent asked whether the solar panels could keep up.

Dawn Errington, planning officer for the council, confirmed that planning permission to extend the height of the panels could be obtained to increase electricity.

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Cllr Dave Kinloch also questioned the longevity of the panels, asking: “With regards to the decommissioning, is the expectation that the panels will last 35 years, or around 35 years?

“Will they degrade, or is there an opportunity for them to last longer?

“I would not want to waste a set of solar panels.”

Ms Errington reiterated that the hope is the panels will survive 35 years, but developers can apply to extend it.

Moving forward, further delays to the scheme are on the horizon.

Dominic MacKrill, project manager, said the council has “been in the queue” for National Grid to await their assessment.

“Then, we will have to wait 90 days for the outcome”, he added.

Although National Grid provided no objection to the plan, there is a possibility the company is unable to take on the electricity generated by the solar farm.

Dominic said: “Our proposed amount of transmission still needs to undergo an assessment, so there is jeopardy there.”

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But members of the Hedge End, West End and Botley Local Area Committee were not deterred, and the approval followed.

Councillor Rupert Kyrle said: “I propose that we accept this.

“Climate change is a significant issue and it is getting worse and worse.

“Clean energy will mean a more resilient supply which is a really good thing.

“We want to bring prices down so people can have clean energy at an affordable price.”