Around 100 protestors attended a public meeting to voice their concerns over Tabley Hill Solar Farm.
Renewable energy developer Aukera wants to generate 20 megawatts of electricity, enough to meet the needs of around 10, 500 properties, more than the number of homes in Knutsford.
The site is near junction 19 on the M6 and covers 150 acres near a Grade II listed cemetery chapel.
Knutsford Town Council is vehemently opposed to it.
Deputy town clerk Bob Allen said: “The planning committee decided to strongly object on the grounds of loss of high quality farmland with Grade 2 agricultural land within the green belt as it would be detrimental to the food productivity of the borough and there are more suitable sites within the borough.”
Tatton’s MP is also objecting.
Ms Esther McVey said: “‘As the proposal stands it doesn’t appear to support the local community at all.
“It takes over 100 acres of a total of 150 acres of agricultural land, then takes the energy generated to the main grid.
“No energy is provided to the local area and no energy subsidy is provided for the local community.
“The company is offering a derisory £8,000 a year towards community funds to try and placate local residents for changing the character of the area and massive distribution to the area whilst at the same time they are seeking subsidies from government for the project.”
Tabley resident Bryan Hartley, a member of Tabley Parish Council, Knutsford Town Council and cemetery committee, led the meeting on Thursday evening.
Cllr Hartley said: “I have never known a planning proposal unite so many people in opposition.
“I support renewable energy but it must be in the right place. Tabley Hill is the wrong place.
“This is some of the finest farmland in Cheshire.
“Land that feeds people, supports local farming families and businesses.
“Land that should never be sacrificed when there are alternative locations for solar development.
“This is the industrialisation of our countryside.”
Cllr Bryan Hartley at Swains Way bridle path, set to overlook the proposed Tabley Hill Solar Farm (Image: Supplied)
Potatoes, barley and rapeseed are currently growing on the land.
Residents say they are concerned about the effect on wildlife, as birds could confuse the panels for water and fly into them.
Others are worried about noise and disruption from HGVs.
Cllr Hartley said: “This proposal will bring years of heavy construction traffic through an already congested area.
“Residents, businesses and visitors will all suffer.”
A spokesman for Aukera said: “At a time when the UK needs to strengthen its energy security, the proposals have been developed to increase the supply of domestically produced electricity, while being carefully designed to respond to the surrounding landscape and local area.”
The proposals include underground cabling to connect the site to the electricity grid at Gaskell Avenue.
If approved, construction is expected to start in late 2027 or early 2028 and be operational by around 2029.
Aukera says a benefit fund of £8,000 a year through the solar farm’s 40-year lifetime could deliver lasting benefits for the local community.
Cllr Hartley disagrees and claims the community will receive ‘very little’ in return.
“There will be no permanent or temporary jobs for local people,” he told the meeting.
“Profits will not stay in our local economy but will be exported to Belgium.
“An annual community fund of £8,000, a figure that completely fails to recognise the scale of what this community would lose.
“The land will never return to as it is now.
“The impact affects everyone who values Cheshire’s landscape.
“And it affects one place that deserves special protection, our cemetery.
“Families visit to remember loved ones in peaceful surroundings.
“That tranquility should never be replaced by an industrial landscape.”
Rayna Jackson, of Moss Farm, Over Tabley, who lives beside the proposed development, said: “Everyone is against it.
“We have formed a small committee and we’re doing a lot of research.
“There is concern over traffic, noise, the cemetery and wildlife.”
Public consultation has been extended until Tuesday, July 14.
To express your views visit www.tableyhillsolar.co.uk.
All responses will be considered as part of the proposals before a planning application is submitted to Cheshire East Council.