Victoria Atkins pushes for ‘national resilience’ vote to ban solar farms from prime agricultural land

During an appearance on Chopper’s Political Podcast, Ms Atkins said: “I very much am against it [building solar panels on agricultural land].

“Indeed, for the first time in 11 years of being a Member of Parliament, I’ve been drawn in the private members’ bill ballot, which means I can put a law forward.”

The Tory frontbencher added: “My bill is to ban the rollout of solar farm estates over prime agricultural land, because the land should be used to grow food, not solar panels.

“This is about protecting our national resilience. And again, it comes into the defence issue that we, Kemi and James Cartlidge, have been speaking so much.”

Ms Atkins’s Planning (Solar Power Generation) Bill was formally brought into the House of Commons for its first reading on June 17.

However, MPs will need to wait until January 15 next year to debate the proposed legislation in its second reading.

Concerns around national security were heightened when His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs revealed 68 per cent of solar panels imported by the UK came from China in 2024.

The figure marked an increase from the 61 per cent recorded in 2023.

Great British Energy, which was unveiled as part of Labour’s flagship taxpayer-funded clean energy company, also relied on Chinese-made solar panels for rooftop installations at schools and NHS hospitals.

There is currently no blanket ban on building solar farms on prime agricultural land.

However, planning policy in England generally favours using poorer-quality farmland rather than the most productive land where a solar development is necessary.

Solar panels sat on 52,400 acres of land across the UK in September 2024, including on agricultural sites which are productively used for conventional farming activity.

Critics have called for developers to prioritise rooftops, car parks, industrial sites and poorer-quality farmland amid concerns about food security.

But a landowner who agrees to let a solar energy company use 100 acres of their land could pocket between £85,000 and £120,000 per year in rent.

The figure is estimated to exceed £2.5million within 30 years, potentially peaking at £3.6million.

Ms Atkins’s call for farmland to be protected comes after residents in the village of Ludborough voiced fears about a proposed development.

Ludborough, which is home to fewer than 200 people, is rallying against the proposal by putting up placards and signing a petition.

GB News covered a similar backlash in the quaint Northamptonshire village of Easton Maudit last summer.

However, Labour is pushing ahead with solar projects on agricultural land.

Ministers approved the 500-megawatt Green Hill Solar Farm in Northamptonshire earlier this month.

The project covers almost 3,000 acres of land and includes battery storage and grid infrastructure.

A Department for Energy Security & Net Zero spokesman told GB News: “The biggest threat to agriculture and nature is the climate crisis.

“It is one of the cheapest and quickest forms of energy to build, helping get bills down for good.”