PROPOSALS for a new solar farm in North Dorset will be detailed during a public consultation today.

The plans, which seek to place panels to the east of Grosvenor Road and the Littledown Business Park in Shaftesbury, will go on display from 5.30pm until 8.30pm at Shaftesbury School.

Residents, pupils at the school and wildlife enthusiasts are invited to share their thoughts on the farm, which would be capable of powering a third of the town’s houses with energy, developer Lightsource said.

Conor McGuigan, planning and development director at the company, said: “We are obviously sensitive to the fact that the area around Shaftesbury is one filled with natural beauty and steeped in history.

“We can assure the community that we intend to protect these local assets, while at the same time generating clean, safe electricity and enhancing local wild-life habitats.

“The site opposite Littledown Business Park is ideally placed to be of least possible impact to its surroundings, as it is well screened from nearby residential properties.”