A hydropower plant which could create enough energy to power 600 homes has been branded “unsightly” by campaigners.

Plans for the hydrodynamic Archimedes screw on Sunbury Weir were submitted to Elmbridge Council on July 16.

The scheme from HP Projects, which is on greenbelt land, proposes to install four 3.8m screw turbines which will have a generating capacity of about 440kW – enough to power a secondary school.

The project will consist of three main elements; the hydropower unit, a fish pass and weir modifications.

The hydropower unit can be broken down into 14 points, including the screws and associated gearboxes, concrete troughs, inclusion of stop logs and water level monitoring equipment.

The weir modifications will see the removal and replacement of length of overspill weir to maintain the original flood flow capacity on a new alignment.

If approved, both the river and roads will be used while construction takes place and the area will be screened off to the public during works.

Documents said 14 trees would need to be removed for construction, but HP Projects said the number had been kept to a minimum.

Councillor Rachael Lake, representing Walton North, said: “It is an intrusion on the greenbelt and riverside for an amount of energy that is so small.

“I’ve got a photograph of some small ones and they look horrendous. The application does not actually show you what it is.

“It is on the greenbelt, it is taking away an area of complete natural beauty and it is one of the most used areas on the river. I will be thoroughly campaigning against them. I really support green energy but there is a cost to it. With something like this, there comes enormous damage and for the very small percentage of electricity.”

HP Projects said the purpose of the development was to generate electricity from renewable energy sources and the project would be a “significant, positive contribution towards the objective of a low carbon future”.

The applicant claimed two “very special circumstances” which would allow the development to be built on greenbelt land - the wider environmental benefits associated with increased production of energy from renewable sources and the physical defence against the continued erosion to the end of the island.

Teresa Desantis, co-owner of the Weir Hotel, said: “The construction of these four screws at the weir will not only stop navigation during the build but leave our beautiful riverscape in the greenbelt with industrial steel and concrete to look at for years to come, not to mention the very high pitched noise the four by four metre turbines will create.

“The size of these screws are comparable to a small warehouse. Is this what you want to look at when you walk down the river?”

Comments are welcomed on the application until August 13.

To view the application, visit elmbridge.gov.uk/planning, using reference number 2013/2895.