Landowners in Swaffham being asked by Breckland Council to offer fields up for solar farm projects

Landowners in Norfolk are being asked to offer up their fields for huge solar projects.

Breckland Council has launched an appeal for suitable sites which could be used for renewable energy schemes as part of its local plan update.

The plan guides development in the district and helps inform planning decisions by identifying preferable areas for major developments.

While a previous call for sites helped to identify land for housing schemes, the council is now searching for more landowners to provide space for large solar projects.

The council carried out its previous call for sites in 2022 but has launched an appeal to source additional land after the government published new mandatory housing targets.

However, in light of the government’s hugely ambitious net zero targets, the council is seeking land suitable for renewable energy projects as well as housing.

There are already proposals for two huge solar farms in the Breckland Council area, which are High Grove, spanning 4,000 acres near Swaffham and Dereham, and the Droves, across 2,800 acres around Swaffham and Castle Acre.

Because of their size, a decision on whether the schemes can go ahead will ultimately rest with Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy and net zero, rather than Breckland Council.

Philip Cowen, a Conservative councillor, said at a recent meeting: “We have a real conundrum here.

“We’re going to lose such huge swathes of potential agricultural land in an area of the country which provides a significant amount of food security.

“At the same time, these energy companies are going to be able to pay through the nose for sites and stop us from being able to meet our mandatory housing targets.”

Breckland Council’s call for sites is now open and will end on April 28.