The development of a new 46 MegaWatt (MW) solar farm in the south of Antrim should be given planning consent, according to the Environment Minister.

Minister Mark H Durkan said the building on the Dublin Road includes around 179,000 static solar panel modules mounted on frames with associated ancillary development including invertor stations, a control building, access tracks and security fencing.

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Minister Durkan said: "I have given careful consideration to the impacts of the proposal on environmental interests. The site contains a number of locally important scheduled monuments so the scale of the development was reduced to minimise impact on these areas. I am therefore satisfied that if the development is carried out sensitively, the impact on these heritage interests will be minimal. I also recognise that the visual appearance of a solar farm of this scale can be significant. In this case I am confident that this site is sufficiently enclosed to minimise its impact on the wider landscape."

(CD/MH)