A massive solar farm proposed near Faversham could have panels up to four metres high.

Residents claim they have been told by the developers behind Cleve Hill Solar Park, which would be the UK’s biggest if approved, that the proposed height of the panels is to protect against the flood risk created by the site’s location on Graveney, Nagden and Cleve marshes.

The height of the panels could be between 3.2 and four metres.

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About two-thirds of the 890-acre site is expected to be covered in solar panels.

Campaigners say the scale of the farm would destroy the countryside and have serious consequences for wildlife.

Lut Stewart, whose home in Broom Street, Graveney, lies 10 metres from the site, said: “The panels are going to be between 3.2 and four metres high.

"That’s about as high as the houses here.

“And because of the openness of the area, they’re going to be even more visible.

“People don’t necessarily cotton on to what this means. We didn’t originally. The solar farms you see are often low down, they’re small, and we all believe in alternative energy.

“Because we’re a little village we are in the worst position possible because its so hard to have a voice.

"This is a beautiful part of our coastal countryside, and this solar park is an absolute monster" - Michael Wilcox

“Nobody has any issue with renewable energy but it’s just grotesque.”

A further concern is that 'Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd have confirmed the panels will be laid out in an east-west orientation to allow more rows, increasing generation capacity.

Solar farms usually face north or south and fears have been raised that cramming panels together will, by reducing sunlight, harm wildlife and nature underneath them.

Michael Wilcox, the chairman of the Graveney Rural Environmental Action Team (GREAT), said that while 'Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd has pointed to studies that show solar energy can improve biodiversity, no research has been done into the environmental impact of a site of this scale.

“This is a beautiful part of our coastal countryside, and this solar park is an absolute monster.

“It’s the same size as Faversham town itself. It seems quite clear that the developers are focused on producing the lowest cost energy.

“So they’re looking to cram in as many solar panels as they possibly can and they’re also looking at using an east-west orientation.

“There are some quite significant concerns about that in terms of the effects on the underlying landscape, the amount of light that can get through, the effect that might have on the wildlife and the nature beneath the solar panels.

"Something at this scale can’t fail but to industrialise the countryside.”

'Cleve Hill Solar Park Ltd spokesman Emily Marshall said the panel height is not yet finalised and the proposed layout would help to guarantee a more consistent supply of electricity.

She said: “What that does is enable the solar park to generate more clean solar power throughout the day, rather than a peak in the middle of the day,” she said.

Further details will be made available in phase two of the consultation, which is due to begin in late spring.

To donate to GREAT’s fundraising page, visit www.gofundme.com/no-solar-park-in-graveney.

• A meeting to discuss the solar farm proposalsis being held tonight at the Guildhall. Speakers from Kent Wildlife Trust, the Swale Green Party and Cleve Hill will be present. The event starts at 7.30pm and is open to Faversham Society members and guests.