The project to create a new solar farm on fields in Barkham has been running for years, and is a key priority for Wokingham Borough Council. Plans for the solar farm were approved in 2021, during the previous Conservative administration. It has so far seen tenant cattle farmer Andrew Lake removed from the land to clear the way for approximately 43,000 solar panels. At the time, the Liberal Democrat leadership at the council were unable to appoint a contractor to install the solar panels, which presented a financial risk. Councillor Moses Iyengumwena (front left) and cllr Stephen Conway (right), the leader of Wokingham Borough Council.