The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) have published new research that reveals that some of England’s most productive farmland is being lost to large-scale solar farms.
As the UK pushes to increase solar energy capacity, the report highlights that solar developments are increasingly being built on high-quality agricultural land, putting long-term food production at risk.
CPRE are an enthusiastically pro-solar organisation but there is a compelling case against the rural siting of some solar farms based on the loss of prime agricultural land.
Much research has been undertaken into agrivoltaics – the effective coexistence of solar and agricultural land – but recent research found that nearly 80% of ground-mounted solar farms in the south of England are situated on agricultural land which has been graded between ‘excellent’ and ‘good’ for agriculture.
CPRE’s latest analysis examined 38 of England’s largest operational solar farms, each generating over 30 megawatts of power. It found that nearly 60% of these developments are located on active farmland.
Almost one-third of the land used for these sites falls within the country’s ‘best and most versatile’ (BMV) farmland, classified as Grades 1 to 3a under the Agricultural Land Classification system. This includes 45 hectares of Grade 1 land, considered ‘excellent’ for agriculture, and hundreds more hectares of Grade 2 and 3a land.
CPRE also point out that the data used in the Agricultural Land Classification is obsolete, with much of it dating from the 1940s. They recommend that this is updated to help with future decision making.
Altogether, 827 hectares of BMV farmland, roughly the size of 1,300 football pitches, has been taken out of food production due to large solar installations. Three solar farms, including Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire and sites in East and South Cambridgeshire, are built entirely on top-tier farmland.
The findings come as the UK aims to scale up solar energy generation from 16.6 GW today to around 45 GW by 2030. Under current policies, most of this growth could come from land-based solar farms, occupying farmland for decades. CPRE argues this is a short-sighted approach, particularly at a time of global uncertainty in food supply chains.
Among their recommendations CPRE suggest that the government take a more ambitious approach to rooftop solar by setting a clear target for at least 60% of solar energy to come from rooftops, car parks, and brownfield sites.
They call for a more strategic approach to land use that protect valuable soils and sensitive habitats like peatland and urges a ban on ground-mounted solar developments on the highest-quality agricultural land (Grades 1 and 2), due to their limited availability.
CPRE also advocates for making solar panels a standard requirement on all new buildings, not just homes and for scaling up retrofitting on large rooftops such as farm barns and warehouses. Additionally, support should be given to community energy projects to boost local energy generation and efficiency.
They recommend that ground-mounted solar be banned in National Parks and call for nature features like trees, hedgerows, and ponds to be preserved on all energy development sites and for stronger, more consistent community engagement in renewable energy and grid planning.
The full report can be read here.
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