Eustice says planners are disregarding solar rules

The environment secretary has accused planners of disregarding or failing to understand government policy by consenting solar farms on good quality agricultural land that should be safeguarded for food production.

Giving evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee on Wednesday (29 June), George Eustice was pressed on a spate of applications seen over recent months for large solar projects on good quality farmland.

James Gray MP, a Conservative member of the committee, said he had received correspondence on the issue from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). This stated that solar projects can be allowed on land classed as 3b, which is classed as moderate quality, he said.

Eustice said this position is “not right” and that the issue had been “resolved” following discussions across government in 2015.

The government’s then chief planning officer had written to councils to stress that a presumption exists against solar development on the best and most versatile land, which the secretary of state said includes category 3b.

“I am conscious of a few big schemes in recent months where planning authorities have forgotten or disregarded that advice,” Eustice said, adding he would take up the issue with the DLUHC, which oversees planning issues.

The draft national policy statement for renewable energy, which has yet to be completed, does not block renewable energy schemes on 3b land.

Eustice also said the government is activating “formal requirements” on developments for sustainable urban drainage systems, provided for in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, to help relieve pressure on existing drains.

He said: “That has been put off for far too long. If we have the housing growth ambition to meet the need that there is, we will need to see those new developments fully embracing our sustainable urban drainage to take pressure off the drainage systems.”

The secretary of state additionally rejected a call from the committee to reduce nutrient pollution in river catchment areas by creating a presumption against planning permission for large new poultry units.

He said that such units already require permission from the Environment Agency to ensure they have the right facilities to manage the manure they generate.

And farmers cannot cease using fertilisers to stop  river pollution resulting from run off of surface water, Eustice said: “Removing it altogether would require a fundamental abandonment of farming in many parts of the country, and that is not something that we are willing to do now.”

He added that new research shows that “very high yields” can be achieved in arable farming with significantly less use of fertiliser.