Solar farm and energy store unanimously approved
GooglePlans for a new solar farm and battery energy storage system have been approved.
Proposals for 193 acres (78 hectares) of agricultural land at High Barns Farm, either side of Coal Lane near Elwick village, have been given the green light by Hartlepool Borough Council.
The applicant Enviromena Project Management UK claimed the farm would also create 375 jobs.
The scheme, to last for a temporary period of 40 years, went before the the council's planning committee where the application was unanimously approved.
The development aims to provide "a reliable source of clean, renewable energy to the National Grid".
It will have a capacity of 49.9MW, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Four objections were lodged by residents, raising concerns around the scale of the project and the impact on the views.
Lee Adams of Environmena Project Management UK said at the meeting the firm had worked closely with Elwick Parish Council and other local groups on the scheme which will have "substantive community benefits".
At the end of the 40-year period "all infrastructure will be removed and the land reinstated" to its current condition.
A report from council planning officers ruled the solar farm's "impact is considered not to be significantly detrimental to landscape quality or enjoyment of the rural area".