Stop the Solar Land Grab

An authority concerned by the spread of solar farms and battery plants across the countryside has described the Government’s new ‘land use framework’ as a step in the right direction.

Staffordshire County Council has been arguing that a national land-use policy is needed to manage the growth of solar and other alternative energy, rather than planning applications being decided on a case-by-case basis by different district and borough councils.

Andrew Mynors, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Connectivity, said:

"The current fragmented planning policy is effectively allowing a solar land grab in Staffordshire so not only do we need a national land use framework, but we also need it to provide the detail to understand how the planning process might work.

"Although the framework says that only one per cent of land nationally may be given over to solar and windfarms, the report acknowledges that figure will rise, and the allocation of that land needs to be fairly done.

"For example, the rural community of Drointon, not far from Stafford, has two solar farm planning applications, one approved, one pending, which will cover around 80 per cent of the hamlet for the next 40 years.

"Quoting the ‘one per cent’ figure to residents there will ring hollow, so I want to see shared responsibility across the country for hosting these sites rather than small, rural communities bearing a disproportionate burden.”

Andrew Mynors added that he was pleased that the Environment Secretary, Emma Reynolds, had said that ‘food security is national security’ and had committed to protecting prime farming land.

But whereas the Government has said it is committed to maintaining food production at current levels, Staffordshire County Council is calling for a better understanding of future need.

Andrew Mynors said:

"If the Government can calculate how much extra energy we need to generate by 2050, it can also work out how much land is needed to feed our predicted population and we can allocate resources accordingly.

"Despite the government's ambition, I think that this framework is only one piece of the planning puzzle and despite the ambition of the right use, right place principle, it is unlikely that it will resolve the issue of what gets built and where.

"While I think this document is a step in the right direction, we need to see how it would be delivered and whether it can realise the Government’s ambition.”

Staffordshire County Council’s campaign to Stop the Solar Land Grab continues.

Councillors have backed calls to lobby central government on creating a coherent land-use policy for solar development.

Concerns about the apparent ad-hoc distribution of large-scale solar energy farms, or battery energy storage systems (BESS), have been backed by members at a meeting of Staffordshire County Council’s Full Council.

Speaking after the meeting, Andrew Mynors, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Connectivity, said: "There are real concerns about the way developers are wanting to build industrial scale solar farms in the countryside.

"We are not against the development of solar or alternative energy altogether but using good quality farmland this way forces Staffordshire to make a choice between food and energy security.

"We want to see a better system which recognises the competing demands for land and manages planning applications in a more coordinated, strategic way.”

The county council is looking to align with others to lobby Government to recognise the importance of food security, have planning applications considered at a countywide strategic level, and ensure local communities benefit properly from hosting the invasive infrastructure.

Andrew Mynors added: "Government is saying that we need energy self-sufficiency, but in a farming county like Staffordshire we also know the importance of food self-sufficiency.

"There is a national policy for creating EV charging infrastructure but nothing to govern the spread of solar farms and their battery plants and that doesn’t make sense.

"There needs to be a clear understanding of what is allowed where, and under what circumstances, as well as developing the use of solar energy in urban locations so that the burden is not falling disproportionately on rural counties such as Staffordshire."

Residents, groups and communities backing the call for a balanced land-use policy can register their support on our website.

A national land-use policy is needed to manage the growth of solar and other alternative energy in Staffordshire, says the county council.

With local farmland increasingly being proposed for acres of solar panels and battery storage, Staffordshire County Council is proposing the need for a national policy, which also recognises how much land is needed for food production.

Andrew Mynors, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet member for Connectivity, said: "There is effectively a solar grab happening in Staffordshire, with planning applications for huge solar and battery farms to the eight different district and borough councils in Staffordshire without any central coordination, a pattern that is repeating itself across large parts of the country.

"Government is saying that we need energy self-sufficiency, but in a farming county like Staffordshire we also know the importance of food self-sufficiency.

"If the Government can calculate how much extra energy we need to generate by 2050, it can work out how much land is needed for food for our population and we can allocate resources accordingly.

"There is a national policy for creating EV charging infrastructure but nothing to govern the spread of solar panels and their battery plants – it’s all being left to local councils and their communities to make decisions within a policy framework that isn’t fit for the job.”

As well as the ad hoc growth of solar plants and battery storage facilities in Staffordshire, the county council is also concerned:

• that the majority of solar and battery storage applications appear to be from investors with no responsibility to the communities in which they will be based;
• about the long-term safety of these sites;
• that the majority of applications are on farmland and greenfield sites rather than in urban areas such as rooftops, car parks or other industrial locations.

Andrew Mynors added: "Staffordshire will play its part in meeting the increasing energy needs of ‘UK plc’ but this should be done in a balanced, informed way which shares the responsibility even-handedly.

"In the coming weeks and months we will be campaigning for Government to recognise the need for a common-sense, coordinated approach.”