NEGOTIATIONS are under way for a solar farm to be built next to an area of woodland near White Notley and Cressing.
Cressing Solar Farms Ltd is proposing to build the 23MW farm on land south of Sheepcote Wood on Witham Road, only a short distance from historic Cressing Temple Barns.
The area of possible renewable energy development, which could be about 20 acres and operational for 25 years, falls between the border of Cressing and White Notley where the B12018 meets Station Road.
A public consultation was held in White Notley Village Hall on Thursday (July 24) to give residents the chance to quiz developers and get answers to their queries.
Janice Brown, 45, of New Barn Cottages that backs onto the land allocated for the solar farm, said: "We went along to the meeting to find out what was planned, there weren't many people there.
"Our only concern was the view as it backs onto our back garden, but at the meeting they assured us they would be not only keeping the tree line but also putting in extra evergreens to obscure the sight of the solar farm so we won't be able to see it.
"Not many people will be able to see the solar farm though, just the cottages on our side of the road and people sitting on trains.
"Also when it's being built there will be a lot of lorries turning down a very narrow road, so it will probably take ages to build.
"I asked if we'd benefit from any of the electricity generated, but apparently it will just go back into the grid."
A spokesman for RPS, acting as the agent in the plans, said that discussions were at a very early stage and that therefore no more concrete details were available until after the consultation was over.
In June another consultation began into a solar farm near Faulkbourne Farm, at the back of Faulkbourne Quarry, Cressing Road, Witham, only two miles from Sheepcote Wood.
In March proposals were submitted to Braintree District Council for a solar farm in Little Bardfield, and in December last year in Finchingfield.
