Great British Energy Bill

Debate between Earl of Caithness and Lord Ashcombe

Committee stage
Monday 13th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Caithness (Con)]

My Lords, I apologise to the Committee for missing the first bit of my noble friend’s introduction to his amendments. I take this opportunity to ask the Minister whether he could update the Committee on where we are with the land use strategy. Like the noble Lord, Lord Cameron, I, too, have been banging that drum for some time.

As the noble Baroness, Lady Young of Old Scone, gently chided my noble friend for the length of his introduction, I say to her that he is perfectly entitled to speak for 12 and a half minutes when introducing an amendment. That would not be the case if he were just one of the rest of us.

[Lord Ashcombe (Con)]

My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Fuller’s group of amendments. Significant construction projects inevitably bring competing interests. In this case, the clash is between renewable energy development and agriculture, as well as other environmental considerations beyond decarbonisation. Land use, particularly on a densely populated island, must be approached with great care. Currently, we import approximately 40% of our food. While today’s discussions may focus on volatile oil and gas prices, tomorrow’s may shift to the cost and availability of food. This creates a fundamental dilemma. What should take precedence: food or energy?

Food security highlights the need to prioritise high-grade land for agriculture. However, the Government’s plan to build 1.5 million homes—typically on the edge of towns and villages—threatens this priority. Settlements have historically been sited on fertile land, and expanding housing developments will inevitably consume some of it. Essential services such as schools and shops will require further land use, compounding the problem.

Designating renewable energy as part of the nationally significant infrastructure plan risks bypassing legislation designed to protect communities and high-grade land. Restricting onshore renewable projects to grade 4 and 5 land would safeguard high-quality agricultural land and reduce the impact on the more heavily populated areas. According to Solar Energy UK, currently solar installations take almost 20 times the amount of grade 1 land available as opposed to grade 5. I seriously question whether this is the right ratio and ask the Minister whether he believes that it is.

With the Government’s ambitious housing targets, should it not be mandated that all new building, including homes and commercial premises, be fitted with solar panels, as mentioned partially by the noble Earl, Lord Russell? This would make better use of land already out of agricultural use and reduce the pressure while advancing renewable energy goals.

Great British Energy should refrain from developing high-grade agricultural land, nor is there any justification for it to acquire such land unless Amendment 104 is adhered to. Once agricultural land is repurposed for construction, it is rarely restored. At the end of their operational life, renewable projects will leave behind brownfield sites that will probably be redeveloped, permanently altering the land’s use, leading to unintended consequences for the environment.

I draw attention to the potential conflicts between decarbonisation and other environmental concerns—for example, the low-level but persistent noise from onshore wind and solar farms, generated by inverters and transformers, which can disturb rural communities. Biodiversity loss is another critical concern, also highlighted by my noble friend Lord Fuller.

I strongly support the amendments and urge the Committee to carefully balance food security, environmental protection and renewable energy expansion.