PLANS to build a solar farm near Ludlow have been thrown out.

Members of the South Shropshire Area Planning Committee went against the recommendation of officers in rejecting the scheme in Whitton.

It was turned down because of the impact upon the countryside and the loss of good quality agricultural land.

After the meeting Councillor Andy Boddington, who sits on the planning committee, welcomed the decision that was made unanimously.

“The site was inappropriate for a solar farm both because of its impact upon the area and because it was intended to be on some of the very best land for farming," he said.

EBS Energy had submitted the scheme that was rejected and was a reduced version on an earlier proposal that had been turned down by planners.

It would have generated 4.3 Megawatts of electricity which is enough power for 1,050 homes. The project would have taken four months to construct and involved putting more than 13,000 individual solar panels into the ground.

The scheme would also have involved the erection of a number of kiosks and switch gear equipment. A fence to keep out deer would also have been put around the site.

Richard Huffer, the member for Clee, had referred the application to the committee for a decision.

There was an objection from the Outstanding Area of Natural Beauty Partnership whose concerns included a fear that it would have a negative impact upon tourism.