A solar farm the size of 86 football pitches on high-grade farmland has been rejected and decried as “insane” as the developers are told “it should be on roofs and car parks” instead.

Developers insist that the installation near Sittingbourne would have created enough power for 11,500 homes, but were told “It isn’t an industrial landscape, it’s the garden of England.”

Industria Solar Vigo Ltd originally applied for the sprawling solar farm either side of Vigo Lane and Wrens Road near Borden in May 2023.

Including a control building, switch room, substations, grid connection equipment and compound, the farm would have produced 40 megawatts of power.

Any solar farm of 50 megawatts or more is dealt with by the national government as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), rather than by local councils.

Planning officers were recommending councillors approve the plans at a meeting on Tuesday (August 6).

In 2019 the authority passed a motion to declare a climate and ecological emergency to try and accelerate action to tackle climate change. The council set one of the most ambitious targets in the UK - to be carbon neutral by 2025 and achieve net zero borough-wide by 2030.

Speaking in favour of the bid, Will Mulvany, of planning firm Wardell Armstrong, told councillors: “The applicant has worked diligently to bring together a deliverable scheme to provide over 40 megawatts of clean renewable energy to contribute towards Swale’s climate change objectives.

“That’s enough to power over 11,500 homes and offset over 8,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

“The proposal presents an important opportunity to promote a scheme that will significantly contribute to the renewable energy supply and energy security for the borough and go towards meeting the 2030 target.”

He added: “The proposal is temporary for 40 years and reversible, and will enable preservation of the land for agriculture in the years following decommissioning.”

However, the proposals came under fire from Cllr Terry Thompson (Green), who pointed out that the site is all Grade I farmland - the highest quality agricultural land.

He said: “To me as a farmer that shouldn’t even be put forward. It only is because of the fact it’s a willing farmer who doesn’t want to farm anymore.

“They should sell that to someone who does.”

The Downs East representative continued: “We really seriously need to think about security of food production and we’re skipping over it for short-term profiteering, which is what this is.

“A landowner has come forward, wants to make a few quid and doesn’t want to work as hard. They're not thinking this through.

“For me it’s just insane to put solar farms on very good land – I struggle to find very good land so I’m not impressed at all.

“It isn’t an industrial landscape, it’s the garden of England.”

Some did welcome the plans, with Cllr Angie Valls (Lab) saying it was “most welcome” and “investing in clean, green, renewable energy is the right way forward.”

“It’s national policy to have more green energy and I feel that if we turn this down we would lose [an appeal],” added Cllr Tony Winckless (Lab).

The planned site is just off the M2, and hear the hamlet of Oad Street.

A council officer explained that the “full establishment” of the site - meaning the time for landscaping to be fully complete in order to screen the solar farm from neighbouring areas - would take 10-15 years.

The site is very close to the boundary of the Kent Downs National Landscape (formerly known as AONB).

Cllr Ben Martin (Lib Dem) said members should back the plans, but was critical, saying: “Solar panels belong on rooftops and not beauty spots.”

He added: “We’d all far rather see the solar farms over the top of car parks or on top of buildings rather than agricultural land. Realistically that’s not what we’re getting applications for, we’re getting applications for them on quite a lot of farmland.”

Cllr Simon Clark (Lab) added: “While I agree with the sentiments of my colleagues here about the need for clean renewable energy – wrong place, wrong time.”

He also expressed fears the glint from the panels could affect drivers passing through Oad Street.

He said: “It’s an exceptionally fast piece of road and you’re only going to need a low sun in the wrong place to blind someone coming along there when they’re going like a bat out of hell for there to be a serious collision or serious single vehicle accident.”

However, a planning officer said that as the panels are south-facing, sun glare for drivers should not be an issue.

“This is the best and most versatile farmland,” said Cllr Richard Palmer (Swale Ind.).

“It’s no good saying we’ve got a climate emergency, but then what we’re going to destroy our farmland.”

The planning committee ended up voting to refuse permission, by 10 votes to three.

Speaking after the meeting, a spokesman for Industria Solar said: “We are disappointed that the planning committee members went against the recommendation of the planning case officer and we will now review the application with our planning team and consider any further steps in due course.”