Sleaford and North Hykeham MP pledges to fight solar farms and make Sleaford train station more accessible
An MP has pledged to continue to fight against solar farms that are ‘causing a lot of worry for residents’.
Sleaford and North Hykeham MP Dr Caroline Johnson (Conservative) spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about her priorities for the year which includes campaigning against plans for solar farms and battery and energy storage facilities across the county.
She said: “There’s Springwell Solar Farm, Beacon Fen Energy Park (Solar and Battery Energy Storage System), Fosse Green Solar Farm and Leoda Solar Farm.
“They’re causing significant worry for constituents and I know from having surveyed many constituents the overwhelming majority of people who responded to my survey don’t think that covering thousands of acres of agricultural land is appropriate – for food security, for rural communities – and some of them encompassing houses or villages completely.
“In 2025, I was working with local action groups, councillors, parish councillors, to highlight the sheer level of concerns about them.
“I also secured and held a debate in parliament to raise the issue – which was actually over-subscribed.
“Many Conservative MPs were not able to speak during that debate because so many people attended to speak.
“I’ve also been raising the issue of the Battery and Energy Storage Sites (BESS) and the substations because they’re all part of the infrastructure to support these solar farms.
“Of course, Lincolnshire is the bread basket of the country and it’s important that we don’t cover the best of the land that we’ve got in the country in solar farms.”
Dr Johnson said that small module nuclear reactors would generate “more energy in much smaller areas” and would avoid solar panels being put on some of the “best farmland” in the country.
She warned that once one major solar farm application is approved, it will open the floodgates for a “clustering of activity of other applications”.
Among Dr Johnson’s other priorities for the year is working to get Sir William Robertson Academy, near Welbourn, into the government’s school rebuilding programme.
She added: “When the new headmaster came a few months ago, Mr (Scott) Barlow, and showed me that there were some problems with the school which were more serious, I managed to get the education team to escalate that and bring it forward a year.
“Instead of being in the 2027/28 year that it gets its funding to rebuild, it will get the money to start the feasibility work in 2026/27, which is a bonus and I’m pleased with that and we’ll get better facilities for local children as a result.”
Dr Johnson also said that she is working with the Secretary of State for Transport to get Sleaford train station upgraded to make it more accessible for passengers with disabilities or limited mobility.
The station currently does not have a lift and passengers who cannot use the stairs face having to walk over the level crossing to get to the other platform.
Dr Johnson added: “I’m campaigning for improvements to accessibility at Sleaford train station.
“Those using rail have got some improvements to the timetable which came into effect at the beginning of December.
“Having done a survey of constituents, there are some other changes that people are looking for, which I’ll be working on.
“The station itself doesn’t have a lift to help you get to the next platform which means people have to walk all the way along the platform, wait to cross the tracks themselves and then walk the way up the other way – which if you’ve got limited mobility can be quite a challenge.
“I got it into the access for all scheme before the election and it’s remained in that scheme and it’s had the feasibility work done and now I’m just pushing the transport secretary to ensure that this work gets done at Sleaford station.”