A new report from CPRE, the countryside charity, reveals that 59% of England’s largest operational solar farms are located on productive farmland, while almost a third (31%) of the area they cover is classified as the nation’s ‘best and most versatile’ (BMV) agricultural land.
The research examined the 38 operational solar developments that produce more than 30MW of energy. Despite national planning policy designed to protect high-quality farmland, more than half of these sites (53%) include BMV land, graded 1-3a under the official Agricultural Land Classification system.
CPRE’s analysis found that across all operational sites, 827 hectares of BMV land has been covered by solar development. This area, equivalent to around 1,300 football pitches, includes 45 hectares of Grade 1 ‘excellent’ land, 216 hectares of Grade 2 ‘very good’ land and 566 hectares of Grade 3a ‘good’ land. A further 755 hectares of Grade 3b ‘moderate’ quality farmland is covered by solar panels.
Three operational solar farms – Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire, Goosehall in East Cambridgeshire, and Black Peak Farm in South Cambridgeshire – are located entirely on BMV farmland.
The UK faces a huge challenge as it scales up solar capacity from 16.6GW today to the government’s target of 45-47GW by 2030. Under current policy scenarios, 60-65% of this capacity could come from large-scale solar farms. These remove critical agricultural areas from food production for up to 60 years, potentially compromising the UK’s food supply at a time of global uncertainty.
The concentration of high-quality farmland in eastern England has created a corresponding cluster of applications to build mega solar farms. Despite government projections that solar will cover only 0.4% of UK land, the distribution is likely to be highly uneven. In the parliamentary constituency of Sleaford and North Hykeham, for example, 7% of land is already covered by solar farms.
This approach to land use is short-sighted. Previous CPRE research has shown that installing solar panels on the roofs of suitable domestic and industrial buildings, as well as on car parks, could deliver 40-50GW by 2035 and up to 117GW by 2050.
CPRE is calling on the government to set a target for at least 60% of solar energy to come from rooftop solar, car parks and brownfield land, and to ban ground-mounted solar on Grade 1 and 2 agricultural land due to its scarcity.
The full report can be accessed here.
CPRE campaigns lead and report author Jackie Copley said, ‘The government’s new Solar Roadmap sets out welcome ambition for rooftop solar deployment but does not go far – or fast – enough. CPRE’s new analysis reveals a deeply concerning trend that threatens both rural landscapes and the UK’s food supply.
‘While there’s common cause in achieving clean power, we must find solutions that unite rather than divide communities. The current approach, which has seen 59% of mega solar farms built on productive farmland, is short-sighted and wasteful. We’re needlessly sacrificing irreplaceable agricultural land when rooftops, car parks, and brownfield sites could deliver even greater amounts of energy.
‘This isn’t just about protecting our countryside, it’s about smart energy planning that brings people together around practical solutions that work for everyone.’
