Norfolk could soon be home to the three largest solar farms in the UK
The latest scheme is for a 2,800-acre site, known as the Droves, on farmland around Swaffham and Castle Acre.
Last updated 11th Oct 2024
Norfolk is in line for yet another vast solar farm which will mean the county could be home to three largest in the UK.
The latest scheme is for a 2,800-acre site, known as the Droves, on farmland around Swaffham and Castle Acre.
It is the third such Norfolk project to be unveiled in recent weeks, after developers announced plans for High Grove, a 4,000 acre site that will directly adjoin the Droves, and East Pye, which will cover 2,700 acres around several villages near Long Stratton.
The schemes – which are part of plans to meet the government’s hugely ambitious net zero targets – have already prompted huge opposition in the county.
Plans for the Droves have been outlined by energy firm Island Green Power.
If it goes ahead, it will be second in size only to neighbouring High Grove, which will be fifteen times the current biggest in Britain if it receives planning permission.
The Droves, equivalent to roughly 1,500 football pitches, directly borders fields which are due to be covered by the larger project and will result in the encirclement of Swaffham and surrounding villages by solar panels.
Because of their size, a decision on whether the three schemes can go ahead will ultimately rest with Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy and net zero, rather than local councils.
This has led Kay Mason Billig, leader of Norfolk County Council, to accuse the government of “riding roughshod” over local opinion as opposition mounts to the growing number of schemes.
The Droves in detail:
The solar farm proposed by Island Green Power will be located between Swaffham and Castle Acre and span roughly 2,800 acres of countryside.
The panels will generate up to 500MW of energy – enough to power around 115,000 homes annually – and will be in use for up to 60 years.
The project will also include a new National Grid substation and an adjoining battery energy storage system site, although it is not clear at this stage where these will be located.
Island Green Power is also behind the East Pye Solar project, which will span 2,700 acres near Long Stratton and has already been met with strong opposition from local parish councils.
'Riding roughshod'
The solar projects have been met with strong local opposition, with critics worried about the implications for the loss of farmland as well as the cost and efficiencies of the plants.
But while many local councils have expressed concern, the final call will be made at Westminster.
Because of their scale, the farms have been designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
This means they will bypass the usual planning processes – which would leave the decision in the hands of locally-elected councillors – with the final verdict resting with Mr Miliband.
He has previously spoken in favour of solar power and needs to increase renewable energy projects massively if he is to have any hope of meeting the government’s environmental targets.
But Kay Mason Billig, Conservative leader of Norfolk County Council, has accused the government of turning a blind eye to the feelings of rural communities.
She said: “The Droves project is further evidence of the excessive number of applications for huge solar farms that are being received by the secretary of state to be built in Norfolk.
“The Labour government has committed to trebling solar capacity by the end of this decade, but that should not mean that all these solar panels should be in our county, just because it is convenient for them – especially when they are riding roughshod over local opinion and common sense.
“The government need to allow local planning authorities to decide where they should be placed, not taking the decision in London where they do not understand the impact that a solar farm will have on the local population who may be blighted by it, yet are unlikely to benefit from it.”
What happens now?
The Droves project has just been revealed but a formal application will not be submitted until winter next year – with months of consultation to take place before this happens.
People living around Swaffham and Castle Acre will have an opportunity to offer feedback on the initial designs at various events, but specific dates are yet to be confirmed.
Mr Miliband has lately described solar power as being “crucial” to hitting net zero targets and declared his intention to push ahead with onshore windfarms and solar farms where possible.
The 600MW Cottam solar project in Lincolnshire is one of the latest to be given the green light by Mr Milliband, despite strong local objections to the plan.