AN appeal has been lodged against the refusal of a planning application for a large solar farm next to the A391 main road on the outskirts of St Austell.

The scheme was turned down by Cornwall councillors in the spring but now an appeal has been made to the government, meaning the Planning Inspectorate will make the final decision on the plan.

The proposal is for a solar farm and a battery storage farm off Menear Road in the Treverbyn parish. Anesco Ltd, a UK-based energy infrastructure company, submitted the application to build the solar farm, with the aim of it operating for 40 years and generating enough electricity to power 3,880 homes.

There was local opposition, and councillors rejected the application stating that “installing panels onto undeveloped fields in the countryside would harm to a significant extent the distinctive character and beauty of the site and its surrounding area on a gateway location to Austell”.

They said the solar farm on 25.5 hectares of land at Menear Farm would be seen from across St Austell Bay.

Under the plan, panels would be placed to the north-east of the A391, near the St Austell Household Waste Recycling Centre.

The councillors went against advice from planning officers who thought the application was a good idea. Officers felt the public benefits associated with the renewable energy scheme were substantial and outweighed the negative factors.

The appeal will be decided on the basis of an exchange of written statements by the parties involved and by a site visit by a planning inspector.

Comments can be made online via the Planning Inspectorate website, acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Alternatively, comments can be posted to The Planning Inspectorate, Ms Cassandra Low, Room 3M, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6PN.

All representations must be received by Tuesday, December 9.