SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After tabling action on a proposal for a solar energy farm, the South Hutchinson City Council gave approval for construction of the energy facility that would be built just northwest of the US 50/ K 96 interchange.

Westar and an Illinois solar company want to build a 1 MW solar farm on 18 acres of land. The project has been met with resistance by adjacent landowners stating it would ruin the aesthetic look of the area.

The planning commission held a public hearing on the matter and voted to disallow the conditional use permit needed to build the facility. But Westar officials asked the Council to take more time to study the proposal, and come up with ways to make the facility more aesthetically pleasing. The plan now is to plant trees around the 18-acre piece of land.

The Council gave approval to the measure on a 4-1 vote.