Plans have been submitted to Eastleigh Borough Council for changes to the Utilita Bowl Cricket Ground in West End.

Submitted to the council on February 7, the application states that as part of the international cricket ground's new partnership with Utilita, the company is to install 1,044 solar panels across parts of the ground.

The Utilita Bowl, formerly the Ageas Bowl and Rose Bowl, was renamed after a sponsorship deal with Utilita Energy in January 2024.

The application states: “As a part of the newly formed relationship with Utilita Energy, the Utilita Bowl has set out a bold vision for creating the greenest international cricket venue in the world.

“The first step of many in this pro-planet partnership is the proposal to install 1044 solar panels on various roofs across the venue.

“During the feasibility assessment, five buildings on site were highlighted as being viable to have solar PV equipment cited on their roofs.

“These are known locally as the Hotel, East Stand, West Stand, The Arthur Holt Pavilion and The Hampshire Wellbeing Centre.”

READ MORE: Man feels 'cheated' as Hampshire Council refuses pothole claim

If approved by the council, the hotel can accommodate the largest number of panels with a proposal of 624 panels.

The East and the West stands are identical and the proposed amount of panels will fit on both. Each stand is set to have 186 panels.

Similarly, the Arthur Holt Pavilion and the Hampshire Wellbeing Centre are buildings of a similar footprint, so the number of panels is also the same for them both – with each building set to have 24 panels.

This comes after a planning application for 170 homes at the Utilita Bowl were thrown out by members of the Eastleigh Borough Council.

One of the concerns that were raised in objection to the proposal was its impact on the environment of the nearby Telegraph Woods.