Rural campaigners raise alarm as farms become power plants

Nearly 20 proposals for solar farms on agricultural land have been submitted to East Riding Council, which says there has been a “noticeable” increase in applications. About half have already been approved in rural locations including Sewerby, Kilham, Nafferton, and Melbourne.

One company, Kinetica Energy, has been writing to landowners in rural Holderness, offering them an index-linked return over 22 years, of about £1,000 per acre per year. They offer to cover all costs for suitable sites – minimum 35 to 40 acres – including grid connections, surveys, installation and maintenance.

Most applications to the council are for about 200 panels, supplying 50kW of energy, but a larger farm of 21,000 panels has been granted planning permission at Ottringham.

The £5.5m farm off the A1033, will cover 33 acres with south-facing panels, which developers Dodds Ltd claim will be barely visible from the roadside. The firm says it has access to a £100m investment fund and is looking for more sites for solar farms.

Managing director Graham Dodds said solar parks could generate “more income than traditional farming uses”, adding: “In effect, Dodds would hand-hold the farmer or property owner throughout the development process, guiding the client through the planning procedure, which can often be complex and time consuming, and eventually providing an additional income stream for the next 20 years. The whole package is geared to being more profitable than traditional agricultural use”.

But the Campaign to Protect Rural England is concerned about the developments’ visual impact and land being taken out of food production.

It comes as yet more massive wind farms are being built in the East Riding. The county has had the most planning applications for large onshore wind developments in the whole of England over the past decade.

A CPRE spokeswoman said they were not against wind and solar in principle, but developments should be in areas where there was least visual impact.

She added: “Because of the subsidies and the fact that they are desperately disproportionate, what isn’t being considered is the visual impact and land is being taken out of food production. Why can’t we locate them where there is least visual impact – car parks, non-listed buildings, the roofs of factories?

“We have no problem with these developments being encouraged, but why has it always got to be agricultural land? Wind turbines are a massively subsidised sector – do we really want to see a repeat of that, but with solar?”

But the NFU said farmers were helping ensure green energy targets were met. Environment and land use adviser James Copeland said: “Given that 75 per cent of land is in the agricultural sector and we have huge targets set by the Government of 15 per cent from renewable resources by 2020 – seven years away – it is something they can play a key role in.”

South East Holderness councillor Arthur Hodgson said agricultural land in the area was already under pressure, with 140 hectares coming out of food production as mitigation for industrial developments on the Humber.

He said: “If they are using land that’s potentially water meadow and can’t be used for anything else, I haven’t a problem.

“But if they want to use premium wheat land and a lot of that is grade one or two, which is top notch agricultural land than I do have a problem.

“We already have a problem with wind turbines, we are 15 per cent oversubscribed, and it is growing like Topsy. I understand solar can be used sympathetically, but it has to be used with common sense, not willy-nilly thrown into places as they tend to.”