Communities are urged to back a campaign protecting Staffordshire farmland from commercial-sized solar farms.
With local farmland increasingly being proposed for acres of solar panels and battery storage, Staffordshire County Council is calling for a national strategy, which recognises how much land is needed for food production compared to energy production.
Andrew Mynors, the authority’s Cabinet Member for Connectivity, has called for public support to Stop the Solar land grab in Staffordshire. He said:
We absolutely support renewable energy - but not when it threatens the farmland that puts food on our tables. We need a balanced approach that protects both food and energy security, not one which prioritises one over the other.
I have spoken to the communities affected by these applications. They feel overwhelmed and it is not fair that they are left to navigate complex planning processes on their own.
I recognise farmers should be able to choose what’s best for them, but, as a principle we think solar panels belong on rooftops, commercial buildings and brownfield sites - not on Staffordshire’s glorious countryside.”
The county council is campaigning for Government to implement a coordinated approach towards the placement of renewable and battery storage facilities, and the latest phase of the ‘Stop the Solar Land Grab’ campaign is asking people to:
- Sign the petition
- Write to their local MP
- Share the campaign with friends and family
Councillor Mynors added:
I’ve written to the Government to demand a national strategy that protects productive farmland, but that alone is not enough.
We want to make Staffordshire’s voice heard and we need people to sign the petition, write to their MP and share the campaign with family and friends.
Thousands of voices united behind this campaign will send a clear message that Government cannot ignore, and together we can Stop the Solar Land Grab.”
- The campaign pledge and more information can be found at https://letstalk.staffordshire.gov.uk/solar-land
- The open letter to government can be viewed here: https://letstalk.staffordshire.gov.uk/34153/widgets/139310/documents/100401
- Video message from Cllr Mynors is available here: https://youtu.be/6KfjvZojehE
