PROPOSALS to build a £50 million solar farm near Lochgelly have been powered up after a planning application was given the green light.

The facility at Glenniston Farm at Auchtertool will see 100,000 solar panels installed which will have the capacity to power around 18,000 homes.

A joint venture between Edinburgh-based renewable energy developers Locogen Ltd and Renewco Power Ltd, the farm is set to have a capacity of 39 megawatts of solar generation and an additional 10 megawatts of embedded battery storage.

Members of Fife Council's West and Central Planning committee approved the application at their meeting on Wednesday despite over 80 objections being received along with 59 supporting comments.

Objections included concerns over the visual impact of the panels and the glare, the loss of agricultural land, noise, the impact of construction vehicles and concerns about the impact on local water supply.

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Planner Bryan Reid also acknowledged there were "some concerns" raised regarding the "legitimacy" of some of the support comments and how they came to be but then confirmed to councillors that the manner in which they were received had been accepted.

Councillor Ian Cameron highlighted worries over site traffic and the area's water supplies.

"I believe there are concerns about water supplies in Auchtertool and there is also a nursing home there," he said.

"Scottish Water have said there are no issues there. Is it possible to do additional survey work to ensure this will not be a problem."

Fears that the farm would affect aircraft were expressed by Councillor Dave Dempsey, but Mr Reid said Civil Aviation Authority had been consulted and raised no objections.

Councillor Lesley Backhouse had her "dissent noted" after expressing concerns and raising a failed motion to reject the plans.

She had asked that the plans be rejected on the grounds of loss of agricultural land and natural heritage.

The power facility, which is expected to be in operation by 2027, will see solar panels of up to three metres in height secured to the ground on fixed metal frames and placed in rows.