12th February UPDATE
REPRESENTATIVES OF CHINT GROUP HAVE STATED THAT A LAND DEAL HAS BEEN STRUCK AND THAT BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS WILL NOT BE USED AT THE THURSTASTON SOLAR COMPLEX
These two articles have been forwarded to Hoylake and West Kirby’s six councillors AND to members of the Wirral Council Planning Committee in an attempt to inform any questions they may have for the Chint Solar developers.
https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/25753817.calls-solar-guidance-protect-uks-best-farmland/
Concerns have been raised over the impact of solar farms on UK farmland.
Inconsistent environmental assessments have prompted calls for clearer guidance to balance renewable energy targets with the protection of agricultural land.
The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) is urging the UK’s solar industry to strengthen environmental assessments, especially where large-scale solar developments could affect food production, rural economies, and nature.
This comes as the UK Government targets 47 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2030—nearly tripling the existing 15 GW—raising concerns over the potential impact on the countryside.
Dr Rufus Howard, senior policy lead for impact assessment at ISEP, said: “There is inconsistency in the approaches taken for environmental impact assessments and planning applications for solar PV projects.
“With a significant increase in the number, size and scale of solar developments seeking planning consent expected in the next five years, there are risks for agricultural land in the UK without proper assessment.
“We need a balance between tackling energy security and the climate crisis, our need for food security, and preserving biodiversity and natural habitats.”
ISEP’s new advice note, Solar PV on Agricultural Land – Essential Components of Environmental Assessments and Reports, sets out practical recommendations to support evidence-based decision-making across the UK planning system.
The guidance calls for robust Agricultural Land Classification surveys, soils, biodiversity net gain, pollution risk management, and socio-economic analysis.
Emphasis is placed on protecting ‘best and most versatile’ (BMV) land, promoting the use of poorer-quality land wherever possible, and maintaining the reversibility of solar developments.
ISEP is also calling for independent soil audits following decommissioning to ensure farmland can be restored to good condition.
Solar Energy UK estimates that solar farms currently occupy less than 0.1 percent of UK land.
The Climate Change Committee believes reaching net zero by 2050 will require around 90GW of solar (70GW by 2035), which would still represent just 0.6 percent of UK land.
However, a July 2025 report by CPRE found that 59 percent of England’s largest operational solar farms are on productive farmland, with nearly a third on BMV-rated land.
Sean Roberts, a homeowner in Kingcoed, was recently granted permission to install 22 ground-mounted solar panels in a field adjacent to his property.
The 9.7kW system, approved by Monmouthshire County Council, will sit just 0.6 metres above ground level, allowing for continued grazing and grass growth beneath the panels.
Kate Young, planning officer, said the panels will have “very little visual impact in the wider landscape” and their dark colour will protect the rural character of the area.
At the other end of the scale, a 550-hectare solar farm is being proposed near Llanwern Steelworks by Future Energy Llanwern Limited.
The site, which spans parts of Newport and Monmouthshire, could generate 380 megawatts of electricity if approved.
As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the Llanwern scheme will require a Development Consent Order and will undergo a full environmental impact assessment.
In addition to solar panels, the scheme would involve new substations, access routes, security measures, and potentially the compulsory purchase of land.
Public consultation on the Llanwern proposal closes on February 15, 2026.
Feedback can be submitted through the project website at futureenergyllanwern.participatr.io or by email to enquiries@futureenergyllanwern.co.uk.
Dr Howard said ISEP’s new guidance aims to support all parties—developers, consultants, and planning authorities—in delivering “consistent, transparent, and high-quality assessments” that weigh energy needs against food production and rural sustainability.
He said the guidance also considers “the broader environmental and social dimensions of solar expansion: impacts on rural livelihoods as well as opportunities for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.”
https://www.farminguk.com/News/call-for-tighter-checks-as-solar-projects-spread-across-farmland_67826.html
Productive farmland could be lost to the rapid expansion of large-scale solar projects unless environmental assessments become more consistent, new guidance has warned.
The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) said inconsistencies in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for solar developments on agricultural land risk undermining food production and biodiversity as renewable energy deployment accelerates.
The warning comes as the UK government pushes to deliver 47 gigawatts of solar power by 2030, almost tripling current installed capacity. That target is expected to drive a sharp rise in the number, size and scale of solar schemes seeking planning consent across the country.
ISEP said growing complexity across energy, environmental and planning policy, including differences between UK and devolved administrations, has led to uneven approaches to EIAs for large-scale solar photovoltaic projects.
In response, the institute has published new guidance aimed at improving consistency across the planning system. The advice note, Solar PV on Agricultural Land – Essential Components of Environmental Assessments and Reports, is designed to support developers, environmental consultants and local planning authorities.
It sets out expectations around agricultural land classification surveys, soil assessment, biodiversity net gain, pollution risk management and socio-economic impacts, with the aim of strengthening evidence-based decision-making.
Dr Rufus Howard, ISEP’s senior policy lead for impact assessment, said current practice was falling short. He said: “There is inconsistency in the approaches taken for Environmental Impact Assessments and planning applications for solar PV projects.”
With a surge in applications expected over the next five years, he warned that “there are risks for agricultural land in the UK without proper assessment”.
Dr Howard said the challenge was to strike the right balance. “We need a balance between tackling energy security and the climate crisis, our need for food security and preserving biodiversity and natural habitats,” he said.
He added that clearer guidance would help deliver “consistent, transparent, and high-quality assessments”, ensuring renewable energy development does not come at the expense of rural sustainability.
A central focus of the guidance is protecting the most productive farmland. Dr Howard said it “emphasises the importance of protecting the ‘best and most versatile’ agricultural land and maintaining the reversibility of solar developments”.
ISEP recommends prioritising poorer-quality land wherever possible and calls for independent soil audits after decommissioning to ensure land can be restored to good condition.
The guidance also highlights wider social and environmental impacts, including effects on rural livelihoods, alongside potential benefits such as biodiversity enhancement and carbon sequestration.
Solar developments can range from small schemes covering a few hectares to projects spanning hundreds of hectares, with some proposals exceeding 1,200 hectares. Under current rules, local authorities decide schemes of up to 100 megawatts, while larger projects are considered nationally.
ISEP noted that solar farms currently occupy less than 0.1% of UK land, but said the location of development is critical. Recent analysis shows a significant proportion of the largest operational solar farms in England are sited on productive farmland, including land classed as best and most versatile.
With planning decisions expected to accelerate in the drive towards net zero, ISEP said clearer and more consistent environmental assessments will be essential to ensure renewable energy expansion does not undermine long-term food security or the resilience of the rural environment.
PLEASE SIGN THE NO TO INDUSTRIAL SOLAR FARMS PETITION HERE:
https://www.change.org/p/say-no-to-industrial-solar-farms-on-wirral-s-green-belt
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