A decision will be made this week on whether one of Europe’s largest solar farms will be built on the east Cambridgeshire and west Suffolk border.  

If given the go-ahead, the proposed Sunnica Energy Farm would cover around 2,500 acres close to the villages of Isleham, Chippenham and Snailwell.  

The final decision was originally due in September but the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero postponed the deadline by three months to Thursday (December 7). 

There has been widespread opposition to the development, with grassroots campaigners, councils and MPs critical of the plans.  

The scheme would be located across three sites: Sunnica East Site A, near Isleham; Sunnica East Site B, near Freckenham and Worlington; and Sunnica West Site A, near Chippenham and Kennett.  

If built, it would connect to the national electricity grid at the Burwell National Grid Substation. 

Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire, and Matt Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, both say the development is inappropriate for the area.  

Although Ms Frazer generally supports renewable energy, she said: "... [the scheme] is poorly mapped out, it involves building on prime agricultural land, and it would utilise huge volumes of lithium batteries which my constituents strongly believe requires further risk assessment."

Meanwhile, Mr Hancock has previously said “the development is too big, the scale is too vast and it's in completely the wrong location”.  

Sunnica says its solar farm would power 172,000 homes and create 1,500 jobs during construction.  

When completed, 27 full-time roles would run the farm.   

A company spokesman previously said: "The UK needs to double the amount of renewable energy it generates by 2050. 

"Sunnica would make a significant contribution to this goal.  

“We will continue to work with the Secretary of State to provide them with any information they require to determine our Development Consent Order application."