by Sam Lawley, Mailonline
Plans to build a solar farm near a sacred pilgrimage route have been savaged by locals who argue it will make the site look like a prisoner of war camp.
The rural village of Monk Sherborne, Hampshire lies along St James’s Way, the English segment of the Camino Way, a path which leads to Santiago de Compostela in Spain and has been used by devout Christians for 1,000 years.
The Camino Way became the first road on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1993.
But families living in Monk Sherborne have expressed serious concerns over proposals for a brand new green energy site which is 216 acres in size – the equivalent of more than 100 football pitches – and will feature an almost nine-foot-high wall (2.6m) around the outside.
Not only will the Stokes Lane Solar Farm sit on the sacred route, it will also surround the village, which has 400 residents and an average house price of over £1million.