A solar park the size of four football pitches is to be built on a Carlisle industrial park.

Executives at Kingmoor Park say the development will be a further boost to the estate, feeding its private energy supply.

Permission for the scheme has been granted by Carlisle City Council.

It will be built on what is currently farmland on Brunthill Road, in the centre of the sprawling park on the northern edge of the city, which boasts enterprise zone status to help attract new investment with favourable rates.

The farm will feature 3,000 ground-mounted photo voltaic panels, each measuring 1.6 x 0.9m.

It is seen as a critical element in a masterplan to create more warehouses, office space and other developments in the coming years.

Kingmoor Park managing director Neil McIntyre said: “We are delighted to move this development to the next phase.

“The solar farm is crucial for ensuring that our private electricity supply is sustainable, economical and has the capacity to grow as the site will.”

A plan of work is being drawn up, with the development expected to be completed early next year.

Once online, estate bosses say it will provide 877,000 kilo watt hours of electricity a year.

That equates to about 15 per cent of Kingmoor Park’s energy needs, saving in the region of 250 tonnes of C02 per year.

The development comes at a time when companies generally are stepping up renewable energy schemes to cut carbon emissions.

Mr McIntyre added: “We are continually looking for ways to safeguard the site’s future energy needs and, in this case, we are working very closely with Solar Maintenance Services and North Lakes Energy to ensure that we are proving the best energy solutions for the site as a whole.”

The project will be developed with Solar Maintenance Services and North Lakes Energy.

James Mclinden, the firm’s managing director, said: “This marks a significant first step in Kingmoor Park’s strategy to support a sustainable future. We are looking forward to working with Neil and his team, as they seek to expand the scope of their environmentally-friendly measures. “

It was revealed last week that job numbers at Kingmoor Park have risen by 300 in the past year to 2,300 after a number of firms moved in or

expanded.