A decision is due on major plans for more than 40 solar panels on an Oxfordshire village spa building.
Applicant Mark Smith wants 42 solar panels for Bridge House, Bridge Street, in Shilton near Burford.
It will be decided by West Oxfordshire District Council's lowlands area planning committee on April 7 and has been recommended for permission.
The scheme has come before the planning committee due to an objection from Shilton Parish Council.
A total of six people have submitted comments in support, as well as two objections.
The parish council said: “We have no objection to the panels proposed on the roof of the existing spa, which is in itself somewhat incongruous in a conservation area, but can see no justification for the proposed ground based panels.
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“Our general disposition is to be supportive of green energy initiatives provided they are reasonably unobtrusive. The standard that is applied in the conservation area must be quite high if that designation is have any real meaning.”
Supporter John Colson, of Shilton, said: “This proposed installation would useful to generate electricity over the coming decade or two and as long as it's visibility is hidden as much as possible from the B4020 I have no problem with this type of construction.”
Robert Molloy, of Shilton Road, added: “I am writing to express my full support for the proposed solar panel installation at Bridge House in Shilton.
“This represents an important step towards embracing renewable energy and reducing our community's carbon footprint, which is vital in today's climate-conscious world.
“I believe that the solar panel installation at Bridge House will serve as a positive example for others in the area, encouraging more households and businesses to explore similar eco-friendly solutions.”
Objector Diana Darlington, of Shilton, said: “There may be a case for an appropriate number of solar panels on the roof of the spa complex (which itself looks like a factory and can be clearly seen from the road), the siting of a further 120 panels in the field is on an industrial scale and out of all proportion in a village location, especially an ancient village such as Shilton, with its several listed buildings and Conservation Area.
“The spurious attempt to justify the proposal by claiming it will provide jobs is laughable. This is not an application to cater for a domestic supply of power but clearly for an industrial business and thus should be rejected.”
In the planning officers' report, it said: “Officers consider that due to nature of the proposed development, location of the panels and separation distance to neighbouring properties that no significant impact will result upon neighbouring occupiers by way of overlooking, loss of privacy, overbearing, loss of light or other nuisance issues such as glint and glare.”
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