A FORMER private solicitor to Her Majesty The Queen has waded into the campaign against a proposed solar farm.

Sir Henry Boyd-Carpenter KCVO, of Llanvapley Court, is strongly opposing a proposal to put 45,000 panels on 66 acres of agricultural land at Manor Farm, on the outskirts of the village, near Abergavenny.

The scheme by Camborne Energy Investments Limited would generate enough electricity to power 2,700 homes, saving 5,360 tonnes of Co2 emissions per year for 25 years.

Sir and Lady Boyd-Carpenter fear the visual impact would mean unfavourable publicity for tourism, on which the area relies economically, and would discourage visitors. They say the proposed high chain fence and CCTV cameras bordering the development will deter walkers.

In a letter to Monmouthshire council, the couple also claim the size and scale of the development would ‘dwarf the heart of the village’ and that the destruction of good agricultural land when there is a need for arable land would be a “disgrace for decades”.

The energy firm’s managing director Jonathan Townend, said the visual impact would be limited as the solar panels would be lower than the height of the field boundary hedges and cannot be seen fromLlanvapley and Llanvetherine.

He said from the Skirrid mountain, the scheme will appear as a small darker patch in the wider landscape.

Mr Townend said the scheme would provide temporary jobs on site for local contractors and support the landowners in diversifying their business.

Several people have spoken out in support of the green energy scheme, including in the Llanover ward, some eight miles away.

Ten people, who live in Nantyderry, The Bryn, Llanover and Llanfair Kilgeddin have signed a petition which has been handed into Monmouthshire council.

The application has yet to be considered by the council.