ENGLISH Heritage says it should have been consulted on plans for a solar panel array on a farm near Ludlow.

The Government body is currently waiting for a reply from Herefordshire Council after writing to ask why its views were not sought.

The development, work on which has already begun, is at the centre of a community row in Brimfield where some residents claim the project is bigger than the application approved by council officers last summer.

Speaking to the Advertiser this week, English Heritage spokesman Maddy Wall said: “I can confirm that we’re waiting for a response from the council.”

Applicant Andrew Burton was granted permission to site the panels on a new storage unit at a property in the village north of Leominster.

But John Southwell, who lives next to the panels, claims the scale of the development grew from about 420 solar panels to 590.

“It looks a bit like a grandstand with solar panels facing south,”

he said.

“It towers above everything else.”

The development prompted a petition, signed by at least 150 people, that was presented to Councillor Phil Cutter, chair of the Planning Committee.

In January, the council said it would go “on site” to see if the development had been built “in accordance with the approved plans”.

Despite attempts by the Advertiser this week, Mr Burton could not be contacted for comment.

Council press officer Kerry Thomson said planning teams hope to arrange a site visit “in the next week”.

She also said the authority will soon be responding to English Heritage.