Major solar farm approved despite productive farmland fears

A major solar farm covering nearly 3,000 acres of Northamptonshire countryside has been approved by the government, despite concerns over its impact on some of the area's most productive agricultural land.

The 500-megawatt Green Hill Solar Farm was granted development consent on Thursday (8 October), clearing the way for a large-scale renewable energy development spanning approximately 1,200 hectares across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.

The scheme, developed by Island Green Power, will comprise solar panels across nine sites, alongside battery storage, substations and underground electricity infrastructure.

However, the approval comes despite opposition from local campaigners and South Northamptonshire MP Sarah Bool, who has warned that around 65% of the site is classified as best and most versatile agricultural land.

This includes land within grades 1, 2 and 3a, regarded as the country's highest-quality farmland.

Speaking in Parliament in April, Ms Bool questioned the implications for food security, arguing that the government should be protecting productive agricultural land rather than allowing large solar developments to occupy it.

She reiterated her opposition in July, describing Green Hill as the wrong development in the wrong location and warning of its potential impact on farmland, rural communities and the local environment.

The decision has renewed questions over how renewable energy expansion should be balanced against the need to maintain domestic food production.

According to the developer's environmental assessment, the scheme has been evaluated on the basis of a 60-year operational period, during which substantial areas currently used for arable farming could move towards grassland management.

Island Green Power maintains that agricultural activity could continue beneath and around the solar panels, including through sheep grazing, helping landowners diversify their income.

However, its environmental assessment acknowledges that grazing is not guaranteed, with its worst-case assessment assuming vegetation would instead be managed mechanically.

Planning documents identify 12 landholdings across the development sites and cable corridor, with one farming business potentially seeing a reduction affecting approximately 40% of its farm area.

The developer argues that the affected holding could continue operating, supported by income from the solar scheme and potentially sheep farming.

It also maintains that the development would not permanently remove most of the land from agricultural use, with proposals for soil protection and restoration following decommissioning.

Of the approximately 1,200 hectares within the solar sites, around 228 hectares are designated for environmental mitigation and enhancement, including habitat creation and biodiversity improvements.

Plans also include new woodland planting, green corridors and more than 50 kilometres of new and improved hedgerows.

Under the government's renewable energy planning policy, developers are expected to favour poorer-quality agricultural land over higher-grade farmland where possible, although solar development on best and most versatile land is not prohibited.

Island Green Power says Green Hill could generate enough renewable electricity to power approximately 200,000 homes, contributing to the UK's energy security and climate objectives.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in May 2025, with recommendations passed to the government in July following a formal examination.

Although consent has now been granted, construction will not begin immediately, with detailed design work, planning requirements and further agreements still to be completed.