ONE of the biggest solar farms in Britain is to be built in the heart of the Test Valley, the Echo can reveal today.

German green giant Kronos has been given the green light to build a huge 185,472 panel solar farm at Houghton near Stockbridge.

Government communities and local government secretary Greg Clark has backed Test Valley councillors’ decision to approve the controversial application at Eveley Farm in the village.

Councillors approved the scheme in April but within hours of their decision, the then Government minister, Eric Pickles, put a ‘holding direction’ on the plans.

That stopped Kronos from going ahead with the scheme until he decided whether to call the application in.

When Mr Pickles lost his job in the Government reshuffle after May’s general election, it was left in Mr Clark’s hands.

He has now said that the solar farm on land owned by Test Valley councillor Danny Busk can go ahead.

Solar park project manager Makan Yarandi said: “We are very pleased with the outcome.

“It was a long journey, spanning over two years, but considering it will be one of the largest solar parks in the UK, it was well worth the effort.

Construction is set to begin in September and will take approximately six months to complete.”

He added: “It will provide clean energy for more than 12,500 households a year and make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions.

“We expect the solar farm to begin generating clean sustainable power by April 2016.”

Originally Kronos had applied to build an even larger and more contentious scheme of 225,456 solar panels but it was vetoed by Test Valley councillors.

That application was then scaled down to 185,472 panels and councillors agreed the project would benefit the environment and help reduce the impacts of climate change.

Borough councillor for Valley Park Alan Dowden backs renewable energy and supported the application.

He said: “At last common sense has prevailed. Solar farms are essential in providing clean renewable energy and we cannot continue to rely on fossil fuel energy supplies that evidence has shown is damaging the environment.”

But Alan Josling from the campaign group Broughton Against Kronos Solar (BAKS) said: “The more than 100 Test Valley residents who objected to the revised planning application for Eveley Solar Farm are very disappointed that TVBC’s planning control committee approved this application and the new Secretary of State declined to call it in.”

“It is hard to understand how Test Valley Borough Councillors can treat the beautiful Test Valley landscape with such contempt.

Councillor Busk said: “We live in a democracy and this application has had more than its share of debate by councillors. The minister supports it.

"It was heavily scrutinised by the council and consulted on throughout the long process and it now has the mandate to go ahead. "I wouldn’t be doing it if I thought it was detrimental to the environment.

"Sheep will be grazed under the panels for the next 25 years which will restore the condition of the soil which is rotten at the moment. The fertility levels will increase. "

"The solar panels will be producing green energy which will help reduce carbon emissions. Everyone seems to have forgot about climate change but it is really happening, we’ve seen it in Romsey with flooding and the drought conditions this summer.

"Anything we can do to reduce carbon emissions has to be a good thing. With the land being untouched wildlife will also be able to flourish.”