A PLANNED solar farm which looks set to be built to provide Colchester's Northern Gateway homes with green energy would cover eight-and-a-half football pitches.

At a recent meeting, Colchester Council's cabinet considered a report detailing a scheme to install a 4.5 megawatt "solar park", using a £5.7 million funding pot.

The panels would complement existing plans to use heat drawn from deep boreholes to warm a 350-home development at former Colchester Rugby Club land, off Mill Road.

Sir Bob Russell, Colchester's High Steward, asked the cabinet about the size of the planned solar network, which would be installed on council-owned land adjacent to Severalls Industrial Estate.

Gazette: Sir Bob RussellSir Bob Russell

The cabinet confirmed the panels would cover 17 acres of land.

"The report to councillors did not mention how much land it would cover – which I thought was a surprising omission," he said.

"Perhaps the reason why it was not mentioned because when I asked how many acres were involved I was told 17.

"That is the equivalent, I believe of eight football pitches.

"Also missing from the report was the value of those 17 acres. I asked, but an answer did not come."

Deputy council leader Adam Fox said: "In the current environment, the onus is on everybody to do everything they can to ensure energy security, energy efficiency, and to do what we can to tackle the climate emergency.

"This is certainly one of those projects that does that."

Council leader David King added: "The sheer scale of what we're doing in Colchester is something we ought to be considering, if you look at the whole of the Northern Gateway site this is actually relatively modest in size."

The cabinet agreed to commit £450,000 of funding to develop the scheme and seek planning permission.

Work started on Colchester Council's Northern Gateway leisure park in March, which is scheduled for completion next autumn at the cost of £65 million.

It will feature two drive-thru restaurants, a Travelodge, a Hollywood Bowl bowling alley, parking for 750 cars, and a 12-screen cinema complex.

The 200,000 sq ft leisure park is located within the wider Northern Gateway, south of junction 28 of the A12.

The development will include the 350-home site at Mill Road, 30 per cent of which are set to be affordable, which will sit alongside a private hospital and a medical centre.

Plans also feature a 75-bed care home, up to 56,000 sq m of office space and a healthcare campus with 300 homes for elderly residents.

A £29 million sports centre opened to the public in April last year.