A 27-acre solar farm on a south-facing hillside between Bentley and Dippenhall has been given the go-ahead by a Government inspector, to the alarm of local residents.

A year after lodging an appeal against the refusal of planning consent by East Hampshire District Council, Constantine Energy Ltd has been given the green light to proceed.

The Government planning inspector who decided the appeal has ruled that, with suitable conditions imposed, "only slight harm" will be caused to the local landscape. He considered the impact of the scheme to be acceptable "in view of its wider environmental benefits".

The plan is to site 21,000 solar panels on an arable field on the county boundary at Cheeks Farm Lane on the Marsh Farm Estate, owned by the Harrap family.

The proposal was strongly opposed by Waverley Borough Council and was turned down by East Hampshire planning officers under delegated powers in August 2012.

For full story, see this week's Farnham Herald.