Plans have been submitted for a solar farm the size of 106 football pitches which could power up to 14,500 homes.

Voltalia UK Ltd has lodged its proposals for the site around Pitstock Farm buildings in Rodmersham, near Sittingbourne.

It is currently agricultural farmland but if the plans are approved, it would host rows of solar panels.

This is not the first solar farm proposed for the surrounding areas of Sittingbourne. In May plans were revealed for a 152-acre solar farm off Vigo Lane and Wrens Road in Borden.

Solar farms are a controversial topic in Kent due to the large swathes of farmland needed to build them.

However, Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, the trade association which represents the solar and energy storage sector, said that for farmers “solar provides a strong and secure revenue stream” compared to “volatile” food production.

Included in the Pitstock Solar Farm plans are a control building, switch room, a substation and a temporary compound to store building materials and equipment.

The developer says its project could generate enough electricity to power up to 14,500 homes- around 10% of all residents in the Swale borough.

It would produce 41 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy per year, saving a minimum of 6,250 tonnes of CO2 per annum – the equivalent of taking 3,750 cars off the road every year.

This, the developers say, would “contribute to local and national ‘Net Zero’ targets”.

The farm would have a life span of approximately 40 years. It would then be decommissioned and the land would be returned to its existing condition.

For the full application click here and use the planning reference 24/500125/FULL

If approved the construction will take around six and a half months (26 weeks).

Some 70 workers will be required on site every day as well as six HGV lorries. It is expected to produce four full-time jobs once completed.

The developer, who has built 23 solar farms in the UK since 2005 with a further four on the way this year, added that it is “committed” to “employing locally and utilising the local supply chain” during construction and operation.

It held a public consultation in November where it took feedback from residents.

A planning committee decision on the application is expected by April 24.