Sunnica solar scheme enters next phase with key meeting in Newmarket on Tuesday

Plans for a Sunnica solar and battery farm in Newmarket are shortly to enter an examination phase, proceeded by a preliminary public meeting to be held at the Bedford Lodge Hotel at 10am on Tuesday.

Local residents including key racing industry figures are sure to be in attendance to hear how proposals for the 2,800-acre site, which would make it the biggest solar farm in Europe, would affect them.

The proposed installation would cover the size of more than 2,000 football pitches, with parts of it bordering the Newmarket training grounds, including the historic Limekilns.

On March 20, local MPs Matt Hancock and Lucy Frazer joined several trainers in a march from Mildenhall to Worlington to oppose the plan.

Former health secretary Hancock has joined the fight to stop developers Sunnica, while racing bodies such as the Jockey Club, Tattersalls and Godolphin are already opposed to the plans, as are Suffolk County Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council.

Matt Hancock: local MP is firmly against Sunnica development near NewmarketCredit: Dominic Lipinski

Martha Dunlop, speaking on behalf of the Say No To Sunnica Group, said: "It's important residents hear how the application for this industrial solar and battery development wrapped around our towns and villages will be examined.

"You don't need to register if you just wish to attend the meeting. Simply turn up – seating is available from 9am on the 26th. The meeting will start promptly at 10am. If you can't attend in person, then you can watch a live stream of the meeting. All interested parties will be sent joining details by the Examining Authority."

Dunlop added: "It's really important people attend the preliminary meeting, which is obviously not always easy during the working day, to show how much this enormous scheme affects our local area.

"We were so pleased that over 1,300 representations were submitted to the planning inspectorate back in March, indicating the concerns we have about this particular scheme."

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