The extraordinary cost of the East Pye scheme would make it the most expensive solar farm in the country and underlines the vast scale of the project and the impact it will have on villages.

The eye-watering construction cost will be met by private investors and recouped through energy bills and has led to further criticism of the proposals.

A map of the East Pye project which spans across South Norfolk countryside (Image: Supplied)

Mike Haslam, a parish councillor in Saxlingham Nethergate - one of several south Norfolk villages affected by the scheme - said: "If permission is given, we are going to have to pay for the privilege of ruining our own village.

"We can’t just live on renewable as it is unreliable. The goal is net zero but no-one has looked at how we get there in a realistic fashion."

David Hook, chairman of Hempnall Parish Council (Image: SWNS)

David Hook, chairman of the parish council in nearby Hempnall - which will be almost encircled by panels - described the figure as "astronomical".

"It is going to have to be covered by someone, somehow, somewhere," he........

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