Plans for new solar farms have caused consternation amongst councillors who fear Lincolnshire’s role as the breadbasket of the UK could be under threat.
The county has been the subject of several large applications to use more than 12,000 acres of agricultural land to home the solar panels.
However, councillors fear the move will lead to the loss of high quality agricultural land which could be used to supply food to the rest of the UK.
They, along with other opponents, feel there are better options.
The applications include three sites in West Lindsey which total nearly 10,000 acres alone, while one which crosses the Stamford and Rutland border will cover 2,000 acres of land.
The issue has attracted the attention of MPs, with Sir Edward Leigh visiting one Gainsborough property which could find itself almost surrounded by the panels.
He said: “We have a crisis in food production. There are many industrial sites, brownfield sites, better sites, rather than this beautiful rolling countryside where we could have solar panels, so this is totally out of proportion.”
County Councillor Richard Butroid, who represents Gainsborough Rural South, also pointed to the issues with infrastructure and noise in the beautiful rolling countryside.
“Our public right of ways are going to have fences in either side of them to protect the panels, and you’re not going to feel like you’re walking through any decent countryside anymore and that’s a loss for a generation,” he said.
A handful of major solar farms are being considered around Gainsborough | Image: Island Green Power
The issues even reached Westminster with a debate calling for more regulation and to allow local people to have their say on larger plans.
Many MPs were keen to point out that they were supporters of renewable energy and its use in making the country self sustaining and secure.
However, they feared there could be an imbalance between the gains from the farms and the losses of the agricultural land.
Rutland MP Alicia Kearns accused developers of using Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) processes to “bypass the will of the community”.
And it’s not just solar farms causing concerns, with worries around on-land wind farms and new pylons lining the UK’s coast.
National Grid ESO announced a £54bn project, which aims to better link up the grid and help deliver 50GW of offshore windpower across the country by 2030.
Among the documents are plans for a connection from new North Sea facilities to Chapel St Leonard, as well as a new network going from North Lincolnshire to Herfordshire.
However, Lincolnshire County Council executive councillor for strategic planning Colin Davie has urged National Grid to consider other options to address the need.
Perhaps next year, those in charge can look to connect the wires in order to power up the country and help feed the nation.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!