1.3GW solar farm, 1GW data centre planned near King's Lynn

Picture 1,900 hectares of Norfolk, about 4,695 acres, covered in solar panels and anchored by a data centre that could draw up to 1 gigawatt.

That's the Longmarsh Green Energy project. Its developers say it could attract £25bn of investment.

Evolution Power Limited (EPL) wants to build across two sites. One would sit south of the A47 near Tilney St Lawrence. The other would be near Fincham and Barton Bendish.

The solar farm would generate up to 1.3 GW and include battery storage. The data centre would need up to 1GW at any one time.

Both would connect to the existing Walpole substation, with operations targeted for 2031.

The plant will provide employment opportunities for thousands of people in the construction sector, while there will be over 500 operational jobs. It claims that a closed loop cooling system where liquid is constantly recycled will ensure there's zero consumption of water from the mains.

The 1.3 GW project may produce even higher output in comparison with any other future solar farm to be created in the UK, as the power production potential of another project, High Grove, will be 720 MW, which equals 363,000 homes.

Because of its scale, the project would be a nationally significant infrastructure project. The final say would rest with the government, not the local council. High Grove carries the same status.

North West Norfolk Conservative MP James Wild pointed to High Grove and a large wind farm also planned nearby. He warned the plan "could represent further large scale industrialisation of the landscape."

Alistair Beales, independent leader of King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, said the authority would "do our job locally and reflect residents' concerns."

EPL calls the project "critical for future UK economic growth". The government has described data centres as critical to "nearly all economic activity and public services," though communities across the country often oppose them over

environmental concerns.