MP’s legal bid to protect high-quality agricultural land from solar farm expansion
Victoria Atkins MP for Louth and Horncastle, has announced the introduction of a Private Member’s Bill to protect the United Kingdom’s most productive agricultural land from large-scale solar development.
The proposed legislation, the Planning (Solar Power Generation) Bill, seeks to prohibit the installation of solar farms on the highest quality agricultural land, classified as Grades 1, 2, and 3a.
After announcing the bill in Parliament on Wednesday (June 17), Ms Atkins said: “Britain’s farmers are the backbone of our food security, and the land they depend on is a finite resource. While we want to increase domestic energy production, we should be using warehouse rooves, car parks, and other suitable places, not giving up prime agricultural land. This bill will ensure we strike the right balance between food security and energy security.”
She says the legislation is designed to safeguard high-quality agricultural land that plays a critical role in domestic food production. With growing concerns about global supply chain disruptions and rising food prices, Ms Atkins stressed the importance of protecting the UK’s capacity to feed itself.
The bill comes against the backdrop of a surge in renewable energy planning applications in Louth and Horncastle and the rest of Lincolnshire. She says current proposals could see vast swathes of the local countryside transformed.
“Lincolnshire is being inundated with planning applications for massive solar and wind estates, which are estimated to cover 3.4 per cent of our countryside with solar panels alone,” said Ms Atkins. “This will forever alter our countryside, our villages and our market towns.
“The strength of local opposition to such plans is significant, and I fully understand residents’ concerns. The scale of development being proposed is unprecedented. It means covering more land than is currently occupied by buildings. Based on 2025 production figures, the equivalent acreage could produce around 32,000 tonnes of wheat each year.”
The bill follows a Conservative amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill intended to achieve the same outcome being defeated by Labour MPs in 2025.