Solar Farm Near Reepham Approved Amid Land Use Debate
A 200-acre solar farm near Reepham, Norfolk, has been approved by Broadland District Council despite local opposition over its use of productive agricultural land. The farm, backed by Albanwise Synergy, aims to supply power to 14,000 homes and will be in operation for 40 years before the land returns to farming. The case highlights tensions between food security and renewable energy development in the UK.
A Norfolk farmer, near Reepham, has been approved to construct a 200-acre solar farm, despite opposition from politicians and local campaigners. The Pettywell solar farm plan, which is being promoted by Albanwise Synergy, will provide renewable electricity to 14,000 homes. Broadland District Council planning committee members debated the plan with four members voting in favor and three voting against. More than 80 objections had been lodged, including formal disapproval from Reepham Town Council and neighbouring MP Jerome Mayhew.
The principal objection criticism was building on "grade 3a" land, which the government has classified as good quality and is being cropped for activities like spring barley, vining peas, and sugar beet. Activists explained how the land needs to be left for the cultivation of food, considering the UK's preference for food security. Council planning officers further added that most crops cultivated on the land were commodity crops, which the UK likes to cultivate in surplus. This, coupled with the fact that the solar farm is generating clean, renewable energy, was the basis of the recommendation that it be approved.
Natural England, being a Government advisory body, did not object to the scheme on the grounds that it was a 40-year scheme. The land would be reclaimed for farming thereafter. The developers also stated that the solar installation was only temporary and what they had aimed to do within the context of food production and argued that the solar farm was within a strategy to bring renewable energy into mainstream farming activity.
Partly owned by a large private landowner in Norfolk, Albanwise Synergy is looking at further solar proposals subject to site availability and grid connection. While some residents remain concerned at the long-term impact of renewable schemes on the countryside and agriculture, the go-ahead is a significant step towards increasing the UK's clean energy infrastructure and reducing reliance on imported energy.
Source/Credits:
BBC News | Reporting: Paul Moseley, BBC Political Reporter, Norfolk
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