A 40,000-panel solar farm will be built in four fields in Arborfield.

Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee granted for the solar farm, which could generate enough renewable electricity to power 3,736 homes a year, on Wednesday, December 16.

The plan from Wessex Solar Energy was deferred the week before after several councillors said they wanted more information about the alternative sites that have been considered for the 40,000 panels.

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The council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and has promised to ensure there is enough renewable energy to power 25,000 homes in Wokingham by 2030.

Officers explained in more detail some of the sites considered by the applicant but said the plan should be considered on its own merits and not in comparison to other potential sites which may not necessarily be available.

Councillor Gary Cowan raised concern about several aspects of the plan, including the drawings, the council’s lack of a solar farms policy and the consultation, but was interrupted after speaking about several concerns.

Simon Weeks, chairman of the planning committee, said the meeting ‘was not deferred to go over ground we have already discussed’.

The meeting got briefly heated, with Cllr Cowan responding: “If you want me to be muzzled I’m quite happy to be muzzled and I’m quite happy to leave the meeting.”

But Cllr Cowan, who had previously called the plan a “massive eyesore that will destroy the amenity of the countryside” and “really urbanise a rural greenfield location”, stayed on, added more concerns and voted against the plan.

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Almost 90 residents had objected to the plans, with some claiming the solar farm will spoil scenic views and “look ugly”.

But Councillor Rachelle Shepherd-Dubey said: “Climate change is a lot uglier than a solar farm”.

The solar farm will be built on almost 50 acres of farmland and surround it with a 2.5-metre-high mesh security fence.

The committee backed the plan, with seven voting for, two against and one councillor abstaining.

Councillor Andrew Mickleburgh and Cllr Cowan voted against the plan, while Cllr Stephen Conway abstained after saying he was “very torn” on the application as he was concerned if it was a suitable site for the solar panels.

Voting for the plan, councillor Angus Ross said he regretted the loss of agricultural land but did not see an alternative, while councillor Rachelle Shepherd-Dubey said the council should determine this application rather consider other possible locations for solar panels.

Wokingham’s carbon footprint is 580.9 kilotonnes (kt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 44.5 per cent of emissions come from energy use in people’s homes while 31.4 per cent come from transport, according to a recent council report.

That means Wokingham emitted more CO2 into the atmosphere in 2017 than several small countries did in the previous year, including Andorra (469ktCo2), and Belize (568ktCo2).