Plans to build a solar farm big enough to power 11,000 homes have been submitted to local councils.

Exagen Holly Lane Limited has applied for permission from Warwick District Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council to build the major new 'energy park' on the outskirts of Balsall Common.

Named the 'Holly Lane Energy Park', the site is split over two parcels of land near the A452, totalling over 52 hectares.

If approved, the development will see the land covered in solar panels up to three metres high, for the next 40 years.

After that the site would be decommissioned and turned back into farmland.

"All of the proposed equipment and structures within the main site would be single storey height only, ensuring that they would not be significantly visible from most viewpoints outside of the site," the application said.

The scheme also said local residents have been asked for their views on the application, with feedback leading to changes to the designs.

The energy park would be built over two parcels of land (image via planning application)

"Exagen has taken all comments into account and made substantial changes to the design and layout," the application added. 

"Additional setbacks have been introduced and landscape planting has been introduced to further screen and filter views from nearby residential properties, particularly those to the west of the main site." 

Exagen estimates it will take up to six months to build the 28MW energy park, requiring up to 60 workers on site.

The company says the solar panels could produce enough energy to power up to 11,000 homes per year and "displace approximately 12,600 tonnes of CO2 per annum".

Plans also show some of the site is in a flood plain.

But it says: "The scheme has been sensitively designed to remove all critical equipment from areas at highest flood risk and incorporate an appropriate drainage strategy to remove any susceptibility to flood risk both within site and surrounding land."

Earlier this year the district council said an environmental impact assessment was not needed before the project could go ahead.

"These proposals would generate clean, renewable energy through solar photovoltaic panels, which would connect to the electricity grid network to provide power to UK homes, or be stored on site for when it is needed most," the company's website says.

See the full application here.