An application for a North Canterbury solar farm, which faces community opposition, will be considered in February.

A Hurunui District Council appointed commissioner has set a date of February 2 to 5 to hear an application from Far North Solar Farm Ltd to build a 181ha solar farm near Waipara, north of Amberley.

The hearing will be held in the Omihi Community Hall starting at 9am each day, with February 10 and 11 set as additional hearing days if required.

The council has received 158 submissions, with 125 opposed to the proposed solar farm.

At its peak, the farm's 250,000 panels would generate up to 144 megawatts, enough to power an estimated 30,000 homes.

A Hurunui District Council staff report noted ‘‘the adverse effects of the application’’ to the landscape and the visual effects are more than minor.

Construction of the solar farm is expected to take around two years.

The council has appointed independent commissioners Dean Chrystal and Shannon Bray to hear and decide the resource consent application.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) issued Far North Solar Farm Ltd with a resource consent for stormwater discharges and a land use consent for excavations over an aquifer.

The consents were not notified, despite residents presenting a 700-signature petition to ECan in August calling for the council to publicly notify any consent application.

ECan said the consents were not notified as any adverse effects on the environment were considered to be minor and achieved ‘‘the purpose of the Resource Management Act’’.

A group of concerned residents formed Save Waipara Valley last year.

Among the group’s concerns are the potential impacts on the environment, how the solar panels would stand up to ‘‘North Canterbury's notoriously strong winds’’, risks to passing motorists from glare from the panels and the impact on property values.

A Far North Solar Farm spokesperson said the company has sought independent advice to assess the environmental impacts and consulted with neighbours prior to making the submission.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.