Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that solar energy development protects rural land.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Solar projects are subject to a rigorous planning process, during which impacts on land use are considered. Planning guidance encourages development on brownfield or previously developed land. Where the use of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, lower-quality land should be preferred to higher-quality land.