Camilla Parker-Bowles's son-in-law is locked in a furious battle with residents of a Wiltshire beauty spot over plans for a giant solar power farm
Harry Lopes, a scion of the super-wealthy Astor family who is married to the Duchess of Cornwall's daughter, Laura Parker Bowles, has invested thousands in the project which is bitterly opposed by many locals.
Lopes, a former Calvin Klein model turned eco-entrepreneur, owns and runs Eden Renewables which has acquired 220 acres of land between the villages of Sevington and Leigh Delamere on the edge of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
There he wants to erect a 220 acre solar farm he claims will provide enough green electricity to power some 13,000 homes - while also enhancing the landscape by enabling wildlife to return to fields previously used to graze sheep.
To try to win over the locals - and to persuade the county council to give permission to proceed - Lopes has employed Sophy Fearnley-Whittingstall, sister of celebrity chef and fellow old Etonian Hugh, to run a PR campaign.
Harry Lopes is a scion of the super-wealthy Astor family who is married to the Duchess of Cornwall's daughter Laura Parker Bowles (pictured together in 2006)
Eden have described the land they want to build the farm on as 'low grade' and promised to plant new hedgerows, trees, and wildflowers to mitigate the development's negative environmental impact - and say this will bring about 'significant net biodiversity gain', enhancing soil quality by leaving the land fallow, boosting carbon sequestration while allowing continued food production with grazing sheep.
Hedgerow planting should mean the sea of panels can't be seen from local homes.
They point out that one edge of the site borders the M4 - it's close to the services named after Leigh Delamere village - and that the electricity it generates will help recharge electric vehicles and thus reduce emissions from the motorway.
But despite the positive spin -they have faced furious opposition from some locals.
Opponents claim that the farm will devastate the landscape with 100,000 solar panels imported from China as well as 32 battery storage units the size of shipping containers. Some villagers have accused them of using 'underhand tactics' to try to win people over.
Lopes wants to erect a 220 acre solar farm he claims will provide enough green electricity to power some 13,000 homes
Philip Davey, a longstanding resident of Leigh Delamere who is actively campaigning against the development, said: 'Eden have very deliberately and cynically appealed to the climate emergency, whilst painting a picture of this solar installation increasing biodiversity and enriching the community.
The reality is that this is first and foremost
