A significant stretch of the rural Somerset Space Walk could soon be dominated by a giant solar farm.
The Somerset Space Walk stretches along the length of the historic Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, beginning at the halfway point near Maunsel Tea Rooms and stretching out to its termini near the Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton and the Morrisons supermarket in Bridgwater.
The canal (which is managed by the Canal and River Trust) is predominantly rural in nature, making it a popular location for walking, cycling and leisure activities such as paddle-boarding - with Somerset Council aiming to make improvements at either end as part of its Taunton waterways strategy and the government-funded Bridgwater town deal.
But much of this natural beauty could soon be altered if plans go ahead for a massive solar farm on a large section of the route - land equivalent to 130 football pitches - which could be operational for at least the next 40 years.
IBV Fordgate Solar Ltd. (which is based in the Cheapside area of the City of London) applied in late-August to build the solar farm on 94 hectares (232 acres) of active farmland at Fordgate Farm, in the hamlet of Fordgate (which forms part of the North Petherton parish).
The solar farm will be built on the western side of the canal between the Saturn and Uranus markers on the Somerset Space Walk - with the northern boundary ending near the planned site of a new Hinkley Point C campus in the nearby village of Huntworth.
The facility will be accessed from Park Lane - not far from the planned site of North Petherton's new medical centre - and is expected to provide enough power for 13,500 homes (equivalent to one-third of the population of Bridgwater).
A spokesperson for the developer said: "The photovoltaic panels will be arranged in a series of arrays across the site, and the proposal will include supporting infrastructure such as transformers and a substation.
"The proposal will have a design life of up to 40 years. The site will then be restored for future use as agricultural land at the end of its operational lifetime.
"A solar farm of this scale would be expected to provide sufficient electricity to power approximately 13,500 average UK homes, annually avoiding 8,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year."
Sedgemoor District Council granted permission for a separate solar farm on the neighbouring land at Impens Farm in December 2022 - but to date this scheme has not been implemented.
The Fordgate site entirely comprises Grade 3b agricultural land - meaning it is not the "best and most versatile" but still suitable for arable farming - and is "limited by wetness" due to the proximity of the canal, other watercourses and its low-lying location.
Jane Hennell, area planner for the Canal and River Trust, said the charity was concerned the canal's contribution to Somerset's leisure and tourism could be severely undermined by building a solar farm along such a lengthy section.
She said: "The tow-path is a popular cycle route and walking destination (with the Somerset Space Walk nearby), as well as one for angling and paddling.
"Anyone using the canal for walking, boating or paddling is travelling at a slow speed and therefore will experience the adverse impacts of the solar array for a long period of time."
Numerous local residents expressed scepticism about the proposals during a livestream of the site carried out by the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Saturday morning (October 18).
Janet Collingwood, who lives in North Petherton, said: "It's a vast area. This will massively detract from the character and beauty of the area on this scale."
Andy Anderson said: "It would be alright if it benefited locals by reducing electricity prices, but it doesn't - it just makes money for the investors.
"I'm unsure of how many solar and wind farms have been built but I know my electricity prices have only gone up."
Bridgwater resident Ian Norton (who works at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station) added: "It is absolutely scandalous to destroy farmland for a solar farm."
Somerset Council's planning officers approved the initial proposals (known as a screening and scoping request) in early-October, meaning the developer can bring forward more detailed proposals before Christmas.
The council is expected to make a final decision on these detailed proposals by the spring of 2026.