MP call to protect farmland from renewable schemes

Dame Karen Bradley raised concerns over renewable energy developments during Prime Minister's Questions

An MP has called on the prime minister to change the law to protect farmland from renewable energy schemes.

The Conservative member for Staffordshire Moorlands Dame Karen Bradley said during Prime Minister's Questions her constituents were "extremely concerned" about the number of local solar farm and battery storage developments.

Last month, Staffordshire Moorland District Council granted permission for a fifth battery site in fields near Wetley Rocks.

In response to the comments in Parliament, Sir Keir Starmer said it was right to support both agriculture and bring down people's energy bills through use of renewable technology.

Plans to extend an existing solar farm at Blythe House Farm, near Draycott in the Moors, were approved last year.

However, an application for a 141-acre solar farm at Wetley Rocks was rejected in March after more than 300 objections.

The prime minister said it was important to both reduce energy bills and support agriculture

Citing her constituents' concerns, Dame Karen asked during the exchange on Wednesday: "Will the prime minister give them some reassurance that he will change the law and that we will see good agricultural land saved for producing food, as it rightly should be?"

The prime minister responded: "The right honourable Lady says that people across the country are concerned about solar, but they are also concerned about their bills coming down, after they went up under the previous Government.

"The only way to get them down is on renewables, and that is what we are doing."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.