Campaigners are looking to raise thousands of pounds in order to fight a controversial decision to approve a solar farm being built on a "good quality farm land". 

The Belchamp Save Our Soils group is looking to raise £40,000 to put towards legal fees as they consider launching a judicial review claim into the decision to give the go-ahead for land in Baker's Road in Belchamp St Paul.

Applicant British Solar Renewables (BSR Energy) was given the green light to build the 53 hectare solar farm on land near Clare, in Suffolk, in September by Braintree District Council, subject to a set of approved conditions. 

An aerial view of the site where the solar farm could be builtAn aerial view of the site where the solar farm could be built (Image: Belchamp Save our Soils) The farm would have an export capacity of 49.99MW and be in operation for 40 years when built. 

However, the campaign group on the Suffolk and Essex border believe the development will result in an "entirely unnecessary loss of high grade food producing land".

Clive Waite, who is part of the group, said: "In the unseemly profit driven rush to install solar farms, an ever increasing amount of good quality farm land is disappearing under solar panels.

"Judicial review is a challenging activity which is fraught with risk and success is far from certain, but someone has to make a stand."

The residents are looking for help in their fightThe residents are looking for help in their fight (Image: Newsquest) The group has already collected £5,810 in donations, but needs to raise £40,000 in order to take it through the entire process.

Donations are made through their crowdjustice website.

The application has proved to be a huge talking point among residents. In the latest parish council meeting documents for September, it states 36 members of the public were in attendance to hear the latest on the matter.

A spokesperson for Braintree District Council said: “We are not aware of any judicial review proceedings being issued on this matter.”

The development in north Essex is currently one of several ongoing BSR Energy projects across the country. 

If given the go-ahead, the firm says it could power the equivalent of 12,500 homes every year.

Judicial review proceedings from councils affected by the Sunnica solar farm, on the Suffolk-Cambridgeshire border, ended in August after two parties pulled out.

Suffolk County Council said itself and East Cambridgeshire District Council remained committed to the legal challenge, but the cost of legal fees after West Suffolk Council and Cambridgeshire County Council pulled out were "no longer a justifiable use of public funds."

Say No To Sunnica also pulled out of their legal action to challenge the decision.