IT was matter of "heat or eat" as councillors decided against approving plans for a 120 acre solar farm at Wickhamford in the Vale.

Planners voted not to support the proposal to install 75,920 solar panels on land off Longdon Hill by INRG (Solar Park) 14 after visiting the site.

But the voting at Wychavon District Council planning committee was a close call with just two votes swinging it towards rejection.

David Dean and Alex Anderson spoke in support of the plans, saying the site was not in the Area of Natural Beauty, which was a major concern raised by the committee when the plans last appeared before them in last month.

They added: "We have provided a glint and glare report, which shows very limited glint and glare will occur. However only get two percent of light will reflect from the panels. Crops and grass create a larger glare."

Local councillor and committee member Barrie Parmenter said he struggled with the application.

"I found this very, very difficult," he said. "The government have given people like this carte blanch to put these solar panels all over the country where ever they can put them.

"If you continue to put them over arable land, which this is, I just hope you are not setting up many problems for our children and grandchildren.

"I think we will reach a time when we can heat or eat."

Other concerns were the size of the site.

Cllr Margaret Rowley added: "I don't have a problem with solar farms but in this case it's such a large area and it's open so there's very little natural screening."

But Cllr Tom Noyes said: "I can see nothing that was going to cause anything that would cause a problem to anyone."

And Cllr Rob Adams said if sheep could graze the site, as suggested, it would be like "having your cake and eating it".

This was disputed by Cllr Linda Robinson. "Having seen at Willersey what the grass was up to, which was not a lot, this would be another leap of faith job," she said.