A proposal to place a 16 hectare solar farm in the middle of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has split a community.

The scheme to cover part of the High Weald countryside with solar panels and install several transformer stations and battery hubs at Netters Farm in Cranbrook has seen two parish councils clash, as well as residents.

The chosen site lies 1.6km south of Cranbrook, 2.5km north of Hawkhurst, and 2.8km west of Benenden and Iden Green.

Landowner Arthur Reynolds, a second-generation farmer of Netters Farm, has invited in RNA Energy in the hope their investment will allow him to turn Netters Farm into a wholly organic farm operation.

The proposal consists of two discrete land parcels, connected by Nineveh Lane; a northern parcel of 10.6 hectares and a southern parcel of six hectares. The northern parcel lies in the parish of Cranbrook and Sissinghurst, while the southern parcel lies within Benenden.

The site is attractive to the energy company because it is close to an electricity sub-station allowing easy connection to the national grid.

Although it is within the AONB, the land itself is classified as Grade 3b agricultural land – which is not the best or most versatile.

There are no footpaths across the site and the nearest listed building, Netters Hall, is 200m away.

The applicants believe the Government’s policy to increase green energy production is a positive point for their proposal and say that with an increasing population, the transition to electric vehicles and a planned move away from natural gas for heating, the need for electrical energy will soar.

The solar panels will be raised around a metre off the ground to enable sheep to graze beneath them and will be 2.57m high. They will be sloping and facing south.

The development would need three transformer stations, which look like large sheds and are 6m long and 2.4m wide.

The site would be surrounded by two-metre high deer stock fencing and protected by CCTV cameras, but there would be no permanent lighting at the site.

Within the solar farm, the applicants would retain three hectares of species-diverse grassland margins, and there would be 150m of new native species hedgerow planting and 0.3 hectares of native species woodland planting.

The solar array could export up to 10 MWe of renewable electricity to the National Grid during peak operation, but would also have a battery system, enabling energy to be stored when not needed, and fed in at peak times.

Anne Mills, of Nineveh Lane, Benenden, supports the scheme. She said: “Global warming needs to be addressed and we must stop using fossil fuels. This in-field solar array will be a small contribution to the UK Net Zero targets and help sustain the future for generations to come.”

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council said it was in accord with its recently adopted Neighbourhood Development Plan.

On the other hand, Richard Hamblin, of Water Lane, Hawkhurst, objected, saying: “A large solar farm will effectively destroy the AONB.

“The solar panels and the attendant storage buildings will cause long-term or permanent damage to the agricultural land; views from nearby footpaths would be impoverished and the local roads are completely unsuitable for the heavy lorries and machinery which will be required for the installation.”

Benenden Parish Council is also objecting to the plans, saying: “The application fails to comply with the landscape and the environment objective of the Benenden Neighbourhood Development Plan, which is to protect valued environmental assets and support Benenden's peaceful, rural, way of life.”

The parish council argued that the applicant had not demonstrated any good reason why an exception should be made for this scheme and felt that less sensitive sites were available elsewhere.

The applicants believe that after 40 years the site would be decommissioned and the land could be easily returned to its current agricultural use.

The two sites would be accessed via two existing access points on Nineveh Lane and there would be no direct connecting route between the two.

Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council chairman Kim Fletcher said: “Even though this is in an AONB, the site is invisible from any road or footpath.

“The land will not be permanently harmed. It’s no worse than erecting a polytunnel.”

“If we don’t put our foot forward to support green electricity generation, then we are being hypocritical.”

The application will be determined by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Details of the plan can be found here.

Use application number 23/02067 to view the relevant documents.