Fury in beautiful UK towns as locals vow to fight ‘tooth and nail’ against solar farms

Locals in an idyllic part of the countryside have blasted plans to plans to build giant solar farms in the area, vowing to fight the projects “tooth and nail”.

Two firms have revealed proposals to construct the sites in Norfolk, but locals warn vital agricultural land will be sacrificed in the name of Net Zero, reports.

One of them, by company RWE, would span 4,000 acres of farmland across five sites – 15 times bigger than any solar farm in the UK.

But the firm suggests their proposed High Grove Solar Farm, located approximately 1.5km southwest of Dereham and extending west of Swaffham, would be a boon for the UK’s .

According to the company website, the site “will provide 720MW of clean energy – enough to power the equivalent of 363,000 typical UK households each year and displacing over 24.8M tonnes of CO2 from equivalent fossil fuel “.

Only days later, UK firm Island Green Power unveiled plans to build the 2,700-acre site East Pye Solar, which would sit on dozens of unconnected fields on either side of A140, surrounding a “large cluster” of villages, reports.

Hempnall Parish Council chairman David Hook claimed the “sheer size and transformative nature of this project would completely destroy the area” and said he expected “action groups to be formed across other parishes to fight this tooth and nail”.

As the schemes are deemed Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, they don’t have to pass through the usual planning processes and the Secretary has the final say, meaning local authorities aren’t able to block them.

Campaigners opposed to the creation of the vast “solar capital” fear that the projects are all but certain to get the green light, as Sec Ed Miliband has insisted that building solar infrastructure is “crucial” for reaching Net Zero targets, and recently gave the go-ahead for a controversial solar farm on the Cambridge/Suffolk border, reports.

Conservative Shadow Security and Net Zero Minister Joy Morrissey told the newspaper that the government “must not ride roughshod over our rural communities in pursuit of their mad targets, paving over important green spaces, putting at risk our agricultural industries and compromising our national food security.

“Ed Miliband should retain the legal guidance that we put in place to avoid the best agricultural land and consider the cumulative impacts of several applications.

“He should make judgements based on what is right for local communities, not what he considers to be politically expedient for his agenda,” she added.

Kay Mason Billig, the Tory leader of Norfolk County Council, described the “plethora of applications for so-called solar farms” as “deeply disturbing”.

“I do not call them farms because they are anything but that,” she said. “What they are is taking up valuable agricultural land which should be used for food production.

“Norfolk is not a place to be exploited by the government in its efforts to feed the power-hungry South-East, especially when local people will not benefit from it,” she added.

High Grove will also need a new battery storage systems, and a National Grid substation in the area, though a proposed site hasn’t been announced.

Jim Neale, 78, a retired print worker from Swaffham, told the Mail that the community “can’t afford to lose this land. We need it to grow vegetables, not solar panels.

“We have to think about green energy but I believe it is going to be better in the long run to have more wind turbines, preferably out to sea,” he added.

Paul Holbrook, a 54-year-old retired teacher revealed he had almost 20 solar panels on his own home in Swaffham, but wasn’t happy about them covering important agricultural areas.”It’s outrageous to carpet panels over 4,000 acres of decent farmland,” he said, adding: “We need to concentrate on feeding all the people who live on this tiny island.”

Gav Welham, also 54, agreed, calling the plans, “crazy”. “These areas should remain as beautiful fields,” he said.

RWE has begun an initial consultation inviting feedback to refine how the site is designed. A further consultation will take place next year before Mr Miliband decides whether to approve it. Construction would then begin in 2028, according to the outlet.

High Grove project manager Mike Greslow told MailOnline: “We chose this location because it offers optimal conditions for solar energy production, in close proximity to the existing high-voltage transmission network and with a terrain that allows the development to be readily screened from nearby villages and other sensitive viewpoints.

“We also plan to enhance local green spaces with new footpaths and recreational areas, making them accessible and enjoyable for everyone, and delivering benefits for biodiversity,” he added.

A spokesperson for Island Green said: “Our proposals for the East Pye Solar project would provide the opportunity to explore ecological enhancements in the area and we are committed to achieving a biodiversity net gain across the site. To reach this, a number of wildlife enhancement measures will be considered.

“We believe the local community is best-placed to suggest, comment and feed back on these measures and will be looking for feedback on this once we launch our first phase of consultation later this year.”

A Department for Energy Security & Net Zero spokesperson said: “Solar power is at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and the Energy Secretary has consented more solar capacity since July than has been installed in the past year. 

“Our planning policies guide solar developments away from using the best and most versatile agricultural land. In fact, even in the most ambitious scenarios, solar would still occupy less than 1% of the UK’s agricultural land.

“Each development proposal will continue to be subject to thorough scrutiny, which means our plans to boost solar power and energy security do not risk the UK’s food security,” they added.