A CONTROVERSIAL £500million cross-Channel link-up between Hampshire and France has been approved - despite opposition from more than 1,000 people.

Members of the Fareham Borough Council's planning committee voted in support of plans to build a new converter station building at Daedalus, Fareham.

National Grid is behind the major new energy infrastructure project, known as IFA2, which links the UK national grid to France.

The project has faced widespread criticism - with than 1,134 people signalling their opposition against it.

The council's decision was made at Ferneham Hall this afternoon after more than four hours of deliberation.

The IAF2 project will see 150 miles of subsea cables pass through UK and French waters channeling 'direct current' electricity, which would be converted into 'alternating current' before being fed into each country's power network.

The cables will run parallel to the north-west side of the main runway in Daedalus Airfield before reaching the converter station in the north-east of Daedalus.

Once there, the power will be converted before following the same route, going back out to sea and travelling along the coast to Chilling in Warsash, where the cables will connect to the existing national grid compound at Chilling Lane which feeds into the wider electricity network.

The site of the convertor station in Daedalus is almost nine acres in size and will house the "collection" of buildings - the highest of which measuring 22 metres.

Preparatory work is expected to start in autumn this year, with the project aiming to be completed by 2020.