CONSULTATION is taking place over plans for an energy facility with up to 75,000 solar panels near Possil Marsh.

Caledonian Solar Park would be on land at Lochfauld Farm, to the east of Balmore Road, Glasgow, near the Forth and Clyde Canal.

It would involve the installation of ground-mounted photovoltaic panels with associated infrastructure to generate up to 18.7MW of renewable energy.

The site can accommodate between 60,000 and 75,000 solar panels.

Developers say there would be a “generous buffer of 45 metres” between the panels and the boundary of Possil Marsh site of special scientific interest (SSSI) to the south.

The consultation website states: “The site has been selected from several options due to the proximity to a grid connection and following a review of potential environmental site constraints and opportunities.

“The land is to the north of Glasgow -– approximately 355 metres to the north of the settlement boundary. The site is currently in use as arable farmland with a tree belt between the fields proposed for solar panels.

“The site is not located within an environmentally sensitive area. There are no statutory environmental designations covering the site, however a local landscape designation applies –- Balmore Road / Possil Loch Site of Special Landscape Importance.

“The site is set back from the Possil Loch SSSI which lies to the south of the site. The site is also covered by the greenbelt designation in the Glasgow City Council City Development Plan (2017).”

A planning application is due to be submitted in August.