The petition of residents of the constituency of Warwick and Leamington,
Declares that that the proposed construction and associated planning application of a 49.99 MW solar farm and battery storage facility by Staffordshire Solar 1 Ltd, on Land to the west of Fosse Way and to the south-east of Radford Semele (W/24/1404), should not be approved; notes that the measures laid out by GB Energy, to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in its business or supply chains, should be the same conditions applied to this application to prevent the use, supply and involvement of forced labour in UK infrastructure projects; acknowledges that the scheme is only 0.01 MW below the acceptable tolerance stipulated by the Government’s 50 MW threshold, which would qualify the project as a nationally significant infrastructure project requiring greater scrutiny; further declares that the proposed site is located close to a substantial village and would impact on the recreational amenity of the residents; further declares that the proposed site comprises grades 2 and 3a “best” and “most versatile” agricultural land, which should be protected from such industrial developments in accordance with planning regulations; and notes that Government data suggests that three additional solar farms are either operational or being developed within 2 miles of the site.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to review and refuse the application for a solar farm near Leamington, to consider an alternative location within the nearby area or an onshore wind farm within a few miles, and to ensure that the local community is properly included in the proposal and planning of such energy schemes going forwards.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Matt Western, Official Report, 19 May 2025; Vol. 767, c. 856.]
[P003071]
Observations from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Michael Shanks):
On 20 May 2025, the planning committee of Warwick district council refused an application for planning permission relating to this proposal. It would not be appropriate for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to comment on this decision or the merits of the proposed development. Likewise, it is not for the UK Government to intervene in decisions about the precise location of specific projects—these are left to private developers.
The Government are committed to achieving clean power by 2030. This is an ambitious mission, which will require the accelerated roll-out of various renewable energy sources, including solar. The clean power action plan, published last year, sets out that 45 to 47 GW of solar will be required in 2030, up from around 18 GW today.
All solar projects are subject to a rigorous planning process, in which the views and interests of local communities are considered. This includes any impact on visual amenity, land use, food production, or the natural environment. Planning guidance also sets out how decision makers should consider cumulative impacts where several projects are proposed in close proximity.
Planning guidance makes it clear that, wherever possible, developers should utilise brownfield, industrial, contaminated, or previously developed land. Where the development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, lower-quality land should be preferred to higher-quality land.
Community engagement is an essential part of the planning process. The national planning policy framework, which governs planning decisions taken by local authorities, encourages developers to engage with local communities before submitting an application. Members of the public can also submit their views to planning authorities; significant concerns will be considered as part of the local decision-making process.
On 31 December 2025, the threshold above which projects are classified as nationally significant infrastructure projects will be raised from 50 MW to 100 MW. This will better reflect the economics of the modern solar sector, and prevent artificial clustering around the 50 MW threshold. It will also return control over a greater number of projects to local planning authorities.
The Government agree with the petitioners that no company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chains. We are working collaboratively on this important issue to see where we can go further. We are considering how we can strengthen section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (which places a requirement on businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more to publish an annual modern slavery statement), including possible penalties for non-compliance. We are also working with a wide group of stakeholders to update the section 54 statutory guidance. The Procurement Act 2023 enables public sector contracting authorities to reject bids and terminate contracts with suppliers that are known to use forced labour themselves or anywhere in their supply chain.
Moreover, over the past two years, the solar taskforce has focused on identifying and taking forward the actions needed to develop resilient, sustainable and innovative supply chains that are free from forced labour. Details are set out in the solar road map, which was published on 30 June. The road map includes the Government’s commitment to support and engage with key industry standards, such as the solar stewardship initiative, and, if necessary, identify where further action is needed, so we can prevent Government and wider UK contracts from being awarded to those who cannot meet ethical and industry-specific standards.