Huge solar farm the size of Durham approved by the Government to be built in East Yorkshire

This came after a six-month assessment by the Planning Inspectorate due to the project being classed as national infrastructure.

This featured concerns raised to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council that residents chose to live in the area for its open countryside, and the size of the project would radically change the nature of the area.

However, the decision letter said that Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband "has concluded that the public benefits associated with the proposed development outweigh the harm identified, and that development consent should therefore be granted".

The Planning Inspectorate also recommended this, saying the solar farm would make a “meaningful contribution” to hitting net zero by 2050.

Simon Warder, the examining authority, added: “I am satisfied that there would be no likely significant effects on protected sites.”

Commenting on the decision, Lord Hunt said: “By continuing to say yes to clean, homegrown power, we are building the foundation of an energy system that can bring down families' bills for good.

“The East Yorkshire Solar Farm could power the equivalent of 100,000 homes, and brings us closer to our clean energy superpower mission.

“We have approved over 3GW of nationally significant solar projects since last July, powering the equivalent of almost one million homes, with every solar panel we install helping to end our reliance on unstable fossil fuels controlled by petrostates and dictators.

“These projects will help to kickstart a new era of clean electricity in regions like East Yorkshire, boosting growth and delivering energy security through our Plan for Change.”

The Government previously said that homes close to major energy infrastructure will get money off their bills.

George McManus, of East Riding Against Solar Expansion, said this “brings us a step closer to enormous swathes of agricultural land being blanketed in a million, Chinese manufactured, solar panels”.

“Other projects in the pipeline will see another 20,000 acres disappear under glass,” he continued.

“The East Riding is being industrialised and people need to wake up to that.”

While ahead of the decision, Coun Victoria Aitken said: “We actually believe that food security is also a national priority.

“When I have walked these lanes or cycled and I've been in these hamlets, the environment is a farming environment that produces food for us to eat.

“Once the solar panels are in, that environment will change completely.”