Annoyed residents in Gobowen have vented their frustrations at the latest development in the village’s ongoing solar farm debacle.

Backed by the parish council, they are objecting to Elgin Energy’s additional proposal for a temporary 20-metre high telecom mast, which must be erected as part of the approved solar farm at Rhosygadfa, citing the detriment it will have on the views of the area.

As the Advertizer revealed last month, the future of the 20,000-panel solar farm depends on the plans going through before March 31 when the number of operating certificates will drop, potentially making the scheme unviable.

Brian Case, who has vehemently objected to the solar farm, said: “This mast will be visible for miles around. But the other issue is that when the applicant first put the plans together, they must have had the option to tick a box requesting broadband connection and if they missed that what else have they missed?

“I also fear it could become planning creep – it could become like Kronospan in Chirk when they put in application after application. It could escalate.”

Meanwhile, the parish council, which met on Wednesday, objected on the grounds of damage to the landscape and “significant visual impact”.

They did however offer an alternative solution, suggesting Elgin investigate connecting to the network via nearby cabinets and sources of fibre optic broadband.

n A public meeting about the solar farm is due to take place tonight (Tuesday) from 7pm at the Gobowen Pavilion, which will provide people with a chance to find out more about the project.