SIR: I wish to join those urging rejection of plans for a new solar farm near Armsworth (Chronicle, October 22). I let out a shepherd's hut as a short stay holiday rental on the Three Castles Path which runs past the proposed solar farm. My visitors come for the beauty of the countryside, and most come to walk the Three Castles Path. A vital part of the path's attraction is its peaceful and gorgeous surroundings.

The Three Castles Path links three castles belonging to King John - Windsor, Odiham and Winchester - and the King is known to have hunted in the woods surrounding the path. Much of the wooded area is listed as ancient woodland. The section near Armsworth where the solar farm will be gets a great write up in Hampshire County Council's Landscape Character Assessment: "Very remote and tranquil in character". HCC states it is important to "conserve the predominantly remote and quiet rural character of the area" (and) "the open and panoramic views."

The land on which the proposed solar farm would be built belonged to the Order of St John Hospitallers. It was gifted to them in 1171 by Henri Du Blois, Bishop of Winchester. In 1360 the hospitallers built a chapel which still stands at Godsfield. There is also a Neolithic fort nearby.

Tourism is now an important part of the Hampshire economy, providing an annual income of £3.27 billion and supporting 87,000 jobs. The main tourism policy objective of the council is to persuade more of Hampshire's 43.5m day visitors to stay for longer as only 4.8m visit for more than one day.

Walking is one of the county's main tourism offerings to such visitors, and one that offers numerous varied and lovely opportunities, with 3,000 miles of walking routes.

It would seem very foolish to allow a project that could just as well be built in lots of other less damaging places to go ahead and thus irrevocably damage a precious, historic and valuable landscape.

Selina Geddes,

Upper Wield,

Alresford