Plans for a 200 acre (about 80 hectare) solar farm are being recommended for approval, despite objections to the scheme.

Renewable energy firm Albanwise Synergy said the development near Reepham, Norfolk, would generate enough power for 14,000 homes.

Reepham Town Council and Broadland and Fakenham Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew have both objected to the proposal, citing concerns over the loss of farmland and the impact of the development on the area.

But a report advises Broadland District Council's planning committee to approve the Pettywell solar farm, advising it would "provide a source of clean green renewable energy".

Such plans are proving increasingly controversial, and some of the UK's largest solar farms are being proposed for Norfolk near the likes of Dereham, Long Stratton and Diss.

Because of their size, the proposed sites are what the government calls "nationally significant infrastructure projects" – and the final say on them lies with ministers.

However, while it would still cover the equivalent of more than 100 football pitches, the development at Pettywell is much smaller, and the district council will decide whether or not to grant planning permission.

Along with thousands of solar panels, the site would have a substation and a battery energy storage system.

About 80 people have objected to the plans, as well as the town council and Mayhew.

Their concerns include the loss of agricultural land and how a large industrial development – described as "overwhelming" by the MP – will look in a rural setting.

Other significant infrastructure projects could also impact the area, with a 37-mile underground cable route connecting offshore wind farms planned to run through the same site.

Last year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the "prize" from solar farms was "cheaper energy for people across Norfolk".

Albanwise Synergy said its proposal was for solar panels that would be in place for 40 years and would provide enough electricity for "renewable energy for the equivalent of over 14,000 homes and displace approximately 6,471 tonnes of CO2 per annum".

Government advisers Natural England said that if the solar farm were removed after the 40 years, it was likely that the land could be returned to agricultural use.

A report for councillors says the site would contribute to the government's net-zero targets and measures such as tree planting would lessen its impact on the landscape.

It advises them to vote in favour of the plan when they meet later this month.

A psoriasis sufferer has described how the condition made her feel "like a human leopard".

Psoriasis is an auto-immune condition affecting more than 125 million people worldwide. It causes skin to rapidly replace itself within days rather than the usual three to four weeks and the impact can be devastating.

Giorgia Lanuzza, 34, from Basingstoke, has been living with the condition for two decades and said she has turned her struggle into a story of self-acceptance.

The 34-year-old mum of two said it began when her father died when she was aged 13.

"He was in an accident – a motorcycle accident – and the grief just showed itself all over my body," she said.

"The skin cells build up and it can cause red dots, sometimes flaky. There are many different causes. I think mine is through stress.

"The weeks went on and the patches just spread, the dots gathered all over my body and soon I was just like a human leopard walking around. It was bizarre."

Ms Lanuzza said she suffered in silence, avoided school and kept her skin covered up.

"I was hiding this sadness and this psoriasis that was going on," she said.

"I did the only thing I knew really at the time, which was to joke and to make fun of myself before anyone else had the chance."

A trip to Thailand in 2015 became a turning point, she told the BBC, when she got a throat infection and her psoriasis "just blew up".

"The doctors said I was 97% covered – I had to take photos, I knew I needed to share these with the world," she said.

When Ms Lanuzza posted the photos on social media, she said the response was "insane", and added: "It really just still fills my heart now."

'Beautiful part of me'

After learning to "embrace" her skin, she has written an autobiographical book, titled Different Skin, that she said was "partly self-help".

"It's like a badge of honour, my psoriasis," she explained. "It really is just my strength now. It reminds me so much of my dad.

"Even with the severe cases of psoriasis that I've had, [my dad's] been the one on my shoulder saying 'Giorgia, show the world and you can do it'.

"I love my skin so much, it's a beautiful part of me. To see my daughter touching my skin and fascinated by it, just embracing me and learning that it's fantastic to be different – and in fact 'my mummy's an author' – she's really proud.

"I didn't feel alone anymore. This is so right. This path that I've taken, that my dad put me on, it's the right path for me.

"I have to keep my psoriasis, love it, love myself, and I'm going to teach the world how to do that as well."

Two lanes of a "gateway" into a town are reopening nearly a year after work began to transform and regenerate the area.

Since August, one lane on Midland Road, Bedford, has been shut to allow for work to repave, widen and improve the road.

Anil Luthra, from Bubbly's Travel, welcomed the reopening but said construction had had an impact on every business in the area and most customers had "stayed away".

Andrea Spice, a Conservative at Bedford Borough Council, said the authority had worked really hard to "accommodate businesses".

Midland Road will reopen to traffic both ways on Wednesday, the council said.

The improvement work was part of the "Midland Road public realm improvements", which has been paid for through the Bedford Town Deal, a £22.6m government investment aimed at revitalising the town centre.

Mr Luthra added: "Most of the customers stayed away, they don't come on this side, you talk to someone [they say] 'oh Midland Road nah, we're not going there because of the road closure'.

"It has affected every business a little bit here, the restaurant next door has suffered a lot."

Ms Spice, portfolio holder for economic growth, planning and prosperity, said: "There were parts of the town you could park and walk to, you might not have been able to park right outside, I appreciate that.

"I hope shopkeepers know we've tried really hard to accommodate them and their businesses.

"We have improved the pavement, we've re-laid it, it looks clean, it looks fresh, it's wider in parts.

"We've tried really hard to lift this part of town, which is a massive gateway for us because if you come off the train and you want to get into the town centre this is the road you walk down and this is your first impression of Bedford."

Samantha Laycock, chair of the Bedford Town Deal Board, said: "This is just the beginning of Midland Road's transformation."

Beach lifeguards, police, CCTV operators and town rangers have been given 10 new walkie talkies to "enhance safety" across a Cornwall town's beaches and high street.

The project, funded with about £3,000 from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, aims to "ensure quicker response times, better coordination and a stronger deterrent presence", said Mark Warren of the Newquay Business Improvement District.

"They will help keep our residents, local businesses, and visiting tourists safe throughout the year," he said.

The walkie talkies come on top of 80 already deployed in the town at shops and pubs, said Mr Warren.