Romney Marsh Solar Farms: Petition Challenges Mega Projects on Prime Farmland

A petition has been presented to Folkestone & Hythe District Council; which calls on councillors to oppose the rapid spread of industrial-scale solar and battery farms across Romney Marsh’s farmland. The petition, signed by 414 residents, and to be heard at the full council meeting on 1 Oct 2025, urges the council to resist new NSIP (“Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project”) proposals for giant solar parks on prime Grade 1 and 2 agricultural land. Supporters of the projects – developers and some farmers – argue that large solar farms are needed to meet the UK’s net-zero and energy-security goals and that they provide reliable, long-term income for farm owners. Opponents, led by the local community group Hands Off Our Marsh (HOOM), counter that such schemes will destroy top-quality farmland, harm the area’s heritage and tourism, and pose flood and fire risks, while offering little local benefit. The debate – unfolding as national energy policy shifts – comes to a head on 1 October 2025, when the petition is presented to a full council meeting.

The Solar proposals On Romney Marsh

Romney Marsh is a flat, fertile plain in south Kent, much of it classified as Grade 1 or 2 agricultural land. Several massive solar and battery projects have been proposed there. For example, Low Carbon Ltd has outlined a 500 MW “South Kent Energy Park” around Old Romney (roughly 1,500 acres, requiring over a million solar panels plus batteries). Nearby, SSE Renewables’ “Shepway Energy Park” aims to install 200 MW of panels and 400 MW of battery storage across 1,000 acres of farmland near Newchurch. A third scheme, the EDF/PS Renewables “South Brooks Solar Farm”, would add up to 1,000 MW on 2,700 acres north of Lydd. In total, projects targeting Romney Marsh could cover thousands of acres (one HOOM map notes nearly 8,000 acres or 12.5% of the Marsh if all proposed schemes proceed).

These are all NSIP projects – meaning they bypass local planning and require a Development Consent Order from the national government. So far none has been approved, but developers have held consultations and expect to submit formal applications in late 2025 or 2026. The council’s petition report notes that some proposals (e.g. a 16 MW farm on St Mary’s Road) are in local planning, but the large schemes by Low Carbon, SSE and EDF/PS would be decided by ministers. former MP Damian Collins and Folkestone & Hythe councillors have attended community events with developers, and on 1 October the Full Council will consider the petition from parishioner Amanda Farrant calling on the council to oppose “oversized solar and battery NSIP schemes” on Romney Marsh.

Solar panels on Romney Marsh farmland. The petition calls such installations “giant solar power stations” that would be “almost impossible to hide” in the open landscape.

Why Campaigners Oppose the Projects

Petitioners say the large scale of these projects will “remove up to 5,000 acres of good arable land” – roughly the size of 25 family farms – from UK food production. They note that most Romney Marsh farmland is top-grade (Natural England Class 1–2) and that only about 20% of UK farmland is Class 1–2. Hands Off Our Marsh (HOOM) warns this could exacerbate food security problems: the UK already imports around 42–48% of its food, and losing fertile land “would mean greater dependence on imports that cost more and have a higher carbon footprint”. The petition emphasizes national planning policy that says solar should use lower-quality land or brownfields when possible (citing Defra guidance and the 2024 National Policy Statement).

Locally, residents fear the impact on Romney Marsh’s heritage and economy. The HOOM press release notes that the projects lie near historic villages and churches, within view of the Kent Downs National Landscape, and could overwhelm the scenery and tourist appeal. The group warns of flooding (some sites are in Flood Zone 3) and fire risk from large lithium batteries. They also point out that construction traffic will strain narrow rural roads, and that property values could fall or land be compulsorily acquired. Importantly, campaigners argue local benefits will be minimal: these mega-schemes employ few people once built, and power is sold to distant utilities (for example Tesco/Shell at the Cleve Hill project). “We are not against solar power generation,” HOOM says, “but these schemes should directly benefit communities…by placing them on rooftops and brownfield sites”.

Several of these points are explicitly listed in the council’s petition report. For example, it notes planners are advised to avoid best farmland, yet “all of Marsh’s crop-producing prime agriculture land is grade 1 or 2” being targeted. It quotes residents fearing vast arrays (up to 5 m high) and battery containers (up to 12 m) will be “almost impossible to hide” on the flat Marsh. The petition concludes: “We support new nuclear at Dungeness, and support solar on unproductive land, rooftops and brownfield…”, calling the Marsh schemes “industrialisation” of the countryside.

Journalists covering Romney Marsh have heard similar themes. A Rye News story quotes a resident: “Romney Marsh is probably one of the last areas… that can be used for food production… If they want to find somewhere to fit solar panels, rent the roofs of the millions of houses”. A HOOM co-founder told BBC Radio Kent: “We’re not against solar per se, but we’re against solar taking up prime grade farmland”.

The Developers Case & Farmers’ Incentives

On the other side, developers and some landowners highlight the need for clean power and stable farm income. Low Carbon’s project director told reporters the South Kent Energy Park “will play a crucial role in support of the UK’s decarbonisation targets,” and the company is engaging with local communities on its proposals. SSE Renewables similarly emphasizes community engagement, saying it wants to “shape this project” with local input. A consultant for one scheme noted that using Romney Marsh makes sense because the existing grid infrastructure (at Dungeness) can handle the output, reducing connection costs.

Farmers in straitened times often welcome solar lease deals. As one interviewee put it, farming “has gone ludicrous… growing wheat and barley isn’t profitable,” whereas leasing land to solar firms can be a “secure income… which is scarcer than hen’s teeth at the moment”. Loss of EU farm subsidies after Brexit and volatile prices have made long-term fixed rent increasingly attractive. Solar developer Lightsource bp tells farmers that leases can provide “decades of guaranteed income” above normal rent, and that land can still be grazed under panels. Such income can aid farm succession and investment – even enabling banks to finance farms using the lease income as collateral.

In short, supporters argue that with government targets to vastly expand solar (the UK plans 70 GW by 2035), projects need scale and financial backing. The existing planning regime gives priority for grid connections to large NSIP projects, so firms say they must develop big parks on cheap land to get into the queue. One anonymous industry manager admitted “the reason why the UK is using fields not roofs is [because] our solar yield is too low to make it viable on rooftops, relative to fields”. In other words, with slim margins and lower insolation than sunnier countries, large ground arrays currently pay off better than scattered small systems.

The government itself has weighed these trade-offs. New Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has made solar a “clean energy superpower” goal, consenting about 2 GW of large projects since mid-2024. In July 2024 he approved 1.4 GW more (Sunnica, Mallard Pass and Gate Burton), aiming to triple UK solar capacity to ~40 GW by 2030. Miliband maintains that best farmland is “still protected” by policy, and insists every site will face thorough scrutiny. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) publicly advises solar developers to use brownfield sites first and avoid Grade 1–3a land.

Despite these assurances, campaigners point to government data showing the solar “pipeline” far exceeds targets. According to a new briefing by Stop Oversized Solar, proposed UK solar projects now total 131 GW – nearly double the 2035 goal – covering some 655,000 acres (the size of Derbyshire) or about 5% of the nation’s cropland. This shift came after industry lobbying moved distribution-connected and transmission-connected solar into the same queue, effectively favouring the biggest schemes. The briefing argues that this crowds out smaller rooftop or parking-solar projects that DESNZ’s own 2023 Solar Roadmap had encouraged.

Assessing the Claims

Many of the campaigners’ figures check out. Official data confirm that only a fifth of UK farmland is Grade 1–2. Natural England lists most Romney Marsh soils as such, capable of high yields of wheat, potatoes and other crops. National statistics show 40–48% of UK food is imported, lending weight to concerns about food security if productive land is lost. Moreover, UK farmland is indeed shrinking: about 64,000 acres per year have gone out of agricultural use over the past two decades (to development, forestry, non-farm uses and even coastal loss). The FSA confirms over 42% of our food comes from abroad, roughly matching HOOM’s 40–55% figure.

On solar output, DESNZ data and analyses underline its intermittency here. Although the UK had roughly 20 GW of solar panels by end-2024, the average output is much lower. In Britain’s climate, panels typically yield only about 10–15% of their rated capacity. For example, a 2025 CarbonBrief analysis notes the UK’s 20 GW capacity produced on average just over 3 GW at peak times (roughly 15% load factor). On record sunny days it reached ~13 GW (around 65% of capacity), but yearly generation is far below capacity. As one expert quipped, “Net Zero is not about how many gigawatts we install, but how much electricity we can produce”.

Prominent solar experts warn of the same issue. Professor Michael Jefferson (a former World Energy Council deputy head) states that the UK’s solar potential is among the worst globally, with “our annual average PV output…around half that of southern European countries” and a World Bank ranking of 229th out of 230 nations. (In practice, Jefferson and Stop Oversized Solar suggest, UK solar farms often run around 10% of capacity on average.) They argue it “defies logic” to use prime arable land for such low-yield generation. On the other hand, proponents point out that by 2030 some studies anticipate solar could supply 20–30% of UK electricity (the Solar Energy UK industry body targets 40 GW by 2030) if all goes well.

Some claims merit caution. For instance, anti-solar campaigners say these Marsh projects could remove “7,000 tonnes of wheat” worth of annual output. Checking that: about 7000 t from ~600 ha of wheat land implies ~12 t/ha, which seems high (current UK wheat yields are closer to 8–9 t/ha on good land). So the figure may overstate losses. Likewise, the statement that farmers nationwide earn “tens of millions” in rent is marketing by a developer, though it is true that fixed solar rent is often above standard farm rent.

On environment, one legitimate concern is the risk from grid-scale battery fires. Lithium-ion battery storage is new at this size; even industry analysts like DNV note that “over the life of [a grid-scale BESS] at least one failure will occur”. Firefighters have raised alarm over potential toxic smoke and prolonged blazes from large battery banks. Communities may reasonably ask who pays for fire safety, and whether setbacks from homes are sufficient.

Government data do show that a relatively small fraction of UK land is currently used for solar. DESNZ says about 20 GW capacity equated to roughly 160,000 acres (0.2% of UK land), and pipelines at 131 GW to ~655,000 acres, which is indeed around 5% of cropland. By comparison, the Green Alliance think-tank notes that the 70 GW by 2035 goal would still occupy “roughly half the area” of UK golf , suggesting solar would use only a fraction of total land. Government policy has repeatedly emphasised rooftop and brownfield solar first, though critics say that policy has not always been honored when siting megafarms near substations.

What Happens Next

The petition will be debated by Folkestone & Hythe District Council on 1 October 2025. If supported, the council could formally lodge objections (a “relevant representation”) when the NSIP applications go to the Planning Inspectorate. However, ultimate approval lies with the Secretary of State for Energy Security. The council report lists options: it can note the petition, refer it to committees, or simply forward it for information as part of the national consultation process.

In practice, campaigners and developers will continue their engagement. Hands Off Our Marsh is holding local meetings and working with MPs to raise awareness. Developers (EDF/PS, Low Carbon, SSE) have scheduled further public consultations in September and October across the Marsh area. Nationally, the debate over land use and renewables is ongoing – the government aims to decarbonise power by 2035 and move off gas imports, but must balance that against agriculture, biodiversity and community concerns.

For Romney Marsh residents, the immediate question is whether their views influence the council’s stance. Regardless of outcome, the scene is set for a high-profile clash between climate policy and local land priorities. As one HOOM spokesperson put it, local communities feel “like sacrificial lambs being slaughtered on the altar of the race to Net Zero by big corporate interests”. The council’s decision on the petition will signal how these competing interests are navigated – but the final say will rest at national level.

The Shepway Vox Team

The Velvet Voices of Voxatiousness