Thérèse Coffey, fresh from her visit to Cop27, suggested in parliament that she would continue with policy plans launched under former prime minister Liz Truss, which would block solar power from most farmland. Under Truss, Defra officials were considering how to redefine “best and most versatile” land (BMV), which is earmarked for agriculture, to include medium to low category 3b. The land is graded from 1 to 5 and currently the BMV includes grades 1 to 3a. Planning guidance says development on BMV land should be avoided, although planning authorities may consider other factors. This would mean that 60% of all agricultural land would be off-limits to solar farms. It was hoped that the Sunak government would reverse this decision, as to meet the net zero targets, the country needs a massive expansion of renewable energy. However, when questioned by shadow climate minister Kerry McCarthy on Thursday, Coffey indicated she would maintain the policy. He said: “It’s very important that we make the best use of our land to have that food security… It’s also very important when we look at land use that we look at the best place to put renewable energy, which by and large most they would agree, let’s use our best farmland for farming and use the region’s areas for a lot of these energy projects.” Backing her up, responding to Tory MP Siobhan Baillie, who is campaigning against solar power in her constituency of Stroud, Environment Secretary Mark Spencer said: “He should be confident that my officials are working closely with other departments to ensure right balance between strengthening food production and energy security”. McCarthy told the Guardian: “It is beyond belief that this government is still considering blocking new solar developments during an energy crisis. This will increase bills, jeopardize our energy security and prevent us from meeting our critical climate goals. “From banning onshore wind to blocks on solar, it’s becoming clearer every week that Rishi Sunak is a fossil fuel prime minister in an age of renewables. Labour’s plan would cut energy bills permanently, creating thousands of good, green jobs and making Britain a clean energy superpower.” The solar industry was also unimpressed by the statements. Chris Hewett, chief executive of Solar Energy UK, told the Guardian: “Since the resignations of Liz Truss and Ranil Jayawardena, all ministerial statements from departments relevant to energy policy, the Treasury and BEIS [Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy]all have explicitly supported more renewable energy, specifically solar farms. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “This gave the impression that anything that happened during Liz Truss’s short tenure was to be ignored, including leaked proposals for land classification changes leading to a de facto ban on solar farms. “The new Prime Minister’s support for renewable energy at Cop27, as a means of achieving economic growth and energy security, reinforced this message. It is worrying that Thérèse Coffey has not made her own department’s position clear, but existing policy already effectively balances energy and food security.” Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary James Cartledge said the new government “is serious about delivering cheaper, cleaner and safer energy” and would include solar farms in future “contracts for difference” auctions. He added that the existing English planning system was “designed to take account” of the need to balance “community interests, food security and ensuring a clean, green energy system for the future”. Sunak has shown a dislike for solar panels in the past and during his first election as leader over the summer promised that “good agricultural land” would not be used for renewable energy. When asked if Coffey’s comments meant she would push for a block on solar farms, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs declined to give an official comment, but confirmed they were looking at options to support agriculture and energy security. while protecting nature and delivering to net zero.
