Mega solar farms built on England’s best farmland, CPRE warns

Nearly two -thirds of the largest solar energy farms in England were built on the productive agricultural lands, with a third of their region in the most valuable agricultural lands in the country, according to a new report from the rural charitable CPRE.

The analysis of the charitable organization of 38 Mega Scale Parms- Each generates more than 30 megawatts-that 59 % are present in agricultural lands, despite the planning rules aimed at protecting these areas. Importantly, 827 hectares of 1-3A land, classified as “the best and most diverse” (BMV), were removed from food production, equivalent to about 1,300 football.

Three of developments – in Soton Bridge in Lincolnchy, Ozihul in East Cambridgers, and Black Beck Farm in southern Cambridgers – located on the entire BMV land.

CPRE now calls on the government to divert solar energy development away from green fields, on rooftops, parking lots and brown fields, warning that losing major agricultural lands threatens food security in the United Kingdom at a time to increase global uncertainty.

“This is not only a matter of protecting our countryside,” said Jackie Copley, the leadership of CPRE campaigns and the author of the report. “It comes to the smart planning of energy that brings people around practical solutions that work for everyone.”

Despite the long-term planning policy to maintain the best agricultural land in England, CPRE found that more than half (53 %) of these large solar sites include 1-3A.

755 hectares of 3B 3B lands have been developed slightly low. The vast majority of the lands affected in eastern England lies, as it makes the soil high-quality and flat terrain attractive to solar energy developers-but also the vitality of local dietary production.

With government targets to expand solar energy from 16.6 GB today to 45-47 GB by 2030, pressure on agricultural lands is intensified. CPRE warns that the current policy can see up to 65 % of this expansion of solar energy installed on Earth-which removes thousands of hectares of agricultural lands from use for up to 60 years.

The Charitable Society argues that this approach undermines the national food flexibility and risk feeding the rural opposition to transport clean energy.

“While there is a common reason to achieve clean energy, the current approach is short -sighted and tilted,” Copley said. “We sacrifice without a bush from agricultural land that cannot be dispensed when roofs of homes, parking lots and brown fields can do the task as well – if not better.”

Previous research for CPRE shows that Solar panels on rooftopsWarehouses, supermarkets, and parking can provide 40-50 GB by 2035-which is enough to meet the current national goals without touching the lands of green fields. By 2050, this number can rise to 117 GB.

The Charitable Society urges the government to determine an official goal of at least 60 % of the generation of future solar energy from the roofs of the houses and the locations of the brown field, and to prohibit the solar farms on rows 1 and 2 agricultural lands completely.

It also indicates flagrant geographical imbalances in the development of solar energy. In Skord and North Hekhamham in Lincolnchy, 7 % of the lands are now covered with solar energy – approximately 20 times the average national projection by 0.4 %.

release Cpre report It comes just weeks after the government deployed the solar road map, which includes proposals to enhance the spread of the surface. While the Charitable Society welcomed this ambition, it says that politics is still less than what is required to avoid the wide conflict in the use of lands and preserving the countryside.

“The government must do more – and faster – to lock the vast, unbelievable capabilities of solar energy on the surface,” said Copley. “By focusing on current buildings instead of productive fields, we can remove the network carbon, protect food production, and avoid clean energy against rural communities.”