Plans for a large scale solar farm on land near Cosheston were unanimously approved this morning (Tuesday), having previously been deferred for a site visit by members of the county council's planning committee.

The proposals for a 7.5megawatt array on 16 hectares of land at West Farm, had been revised down from a initial plans, now comprising of a total of five fields.

Concerns had been raised over the number of vehicle movements that would be made on narrow roads and the potential effects the traffic would have on the nearby primary school.

A number of conditions have been imposed including the need for the submission of a traffic and construction management plan before the development starts.

Local county councillor Tessa Hodgson sought assurances there would be swift action if the traffic plan was not followed to ensure there were no issues with school traffic.