Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Use of Agricultural Land for Solar

Tuesday 27 February 2024 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The planning policy prioritizes the use of low-grade previously developed land for solar projects to avoid impacts on the best agricultural land.
  • The Government is expected to publish recommendations from the solar taskforce imminently, aiming to deploy 70 GW of solar power by 2035.
  • The Minister assured Members of Parliament that the concerns raised about solar farms and battery storage plants on farmland are taken seriously.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Energy Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP is concerned about the loss of agricultural land to solar projects, citing specific incidents in his constituency.

Question

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that land used for food production is not used for solar installations. I am seeing thousands of acres across my constituency being built out or proposed for solar—from Kimble Wick to Dinton, Ford to Beachampton, and more—including the latest 2,100 acre abomination in the Claydons known as Rosefield.

Answer from Andrew Bowie

The planning policy priority is the effective use of land by directing solar projects to locate on previously developed low-grade land, and it is designed to avoid, mitigate and, where necessary, compensate for impacts on the best agricultural land.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the specific ask or provide a timeline for ensuring energy policy does not trump food security

How: Changed Subject

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Q2 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Energy Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP is concerned about the loss of agricultural land to solar projects, citing specific incidents in his constituency.

Question

Good agricultural land that regularly produces wheat harvests of 10 tonnes per hectare, for example, is often falsely graded as 3b because the readings are taken from the headland, not the field. When will my hon. Friend ensure that energy policy does not trump food security, and stop the mass proliferation of agricultural land being used for inefficient solar?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

I understand the concern and frustration of my hon. Friend and his constituents. That particular project is at the pre-application planning stage. The application is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate between January and March 2025.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address the specific ask or provide a timeline for ensuring energy policy does not trump food security

How: Changed Subject

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Q3 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Climate
Context

The MP is concerned about the argument that farmers would take high-quality agricultural land out of production for solar projects. They also note that the UK is far behind its renewable targets.

Question

We are far behind our renewable targets for solar, so what incentive can the Government provide to get more, not less, UK solar off the ground?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

I can reassure the hon. Lady that the solar taskforce will publish its recommendations imminently, and we have an ambitious target of deploying 70 GW of solar across the UK by 2035.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific incentives or measures for more UK solar installations

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Q4 Karen Bradley Con Staffordshire Moorlands
Energy Environment
Context

The MP is concerned about the expertise of small district councils to look at planning applications for solar farms and battery storage plants on farmland.

Question

Residents in Staffordshire Moorlands are very concerned about a number of planning applications for solar farms and battery storage plants on farmland. They have a number of questions, so can my hon. Friend ensure that small district councils have the appropriate expertise to look at those applications?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

I thank my right hon. Friend for her question, and reassure her that we take all those concerns incredibly seriously.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures to ensure small district councils have expertise

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Q5 Gregory Campbell DUP East Londonderry
Climate Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP is concerned about the difficulties farmers are facing and wants to ensure that some land can be used in ways that maximise benefits while contributing to net zero.

Question

Will the Minister have discussions with his colleagues in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to ensure that some of that land is used in ways that maximise the benefit to the farming community, as well as contributing to net zero?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

I thank the hon. Member for his question. I can assure him that we are already engaging with the National Farmers Union; indeed, it has been working with the solar taskforce to enable us to work with farmers and understand their concerns.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific timeline or measures for discussions with DERA

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Q6 Richard Fuller Con North Bedfordshire
Climate Energy
Context

The MP is concerned about the argument that there are limited points of interconnection with the national grid for large solar farm developers.

Question

Could my hon. Friend the Minister advise me on whether that is the case, and if it is, could he follow up on that, and advise all Members of Parliament on where those limitations exist?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Obviously, I do not know the detail of the case he raised, but I am very happy to meet him following questions to look at it in more detail.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific advice on interconnection points or limitations

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Q7 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Climate Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The MP is concerned about the rising carbon emissions from importing food due to reduced incentives for farmers to produce food.

Question

Has the Minister done an impact assessment of the rising carbon emissions from the UK Government carrying on with their agricultural policy, which is reducing incentives for farmers to produce food?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

At the National Farmers Union conference just last week, the Prime Minister reiterated this Government's commitment to supporting British farmers in their primary role of delivering food for the nation.

Not addressed: Did not provide any impact assessment or address carbon emissions concerns

How: Changed Subject

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