As the sun shines brightly over East Wiltshire this week, my thoughts turn to solar investment. I am concerned that a more strategic approach in Wiltshire is needed, so that these industrial investments go where they make sense and are strategically aligned with the needs of the grid. Too much prime agricultural land is being lost, threatening our national food supply.
Not only that, but I worry with the system as it stands we are wasting huge amounts of public resources in having to deal with poorly prepared applications. There is a backlog on the grid and much clutter in the planning system, which impacts negatively on communities and needs to be addressed.
Talks with Wiltshire Council prove they share my frustrations. When I suggested developing a strategic map for solar in the county, building on the new land-use framework, I was reassured to learn that the council is actively undertaking various projects to purposively plan renewable energy sites in the county. Part of this work is being conducted with local communities who will house the developments and benefit directly from the energy generated. This avoids the issue of large-scale solar farms which have no positive benefit to local residents and see energy shipped off elsewhere.
A reset of the national planning process is still needed though, with revisions to take account of the financial incentives behind large solar development and better protection of our agricultural land and the communities living around it. I will continue to lobby Government to tackle holes in national policy which, if addressed, will allow local planning authorities to more robustly defend against problematic applications.
