CPRE Norfolk’s solar map makes headlines

Our map shows the true scale of solar farm bids – and raises important questions about government policy

CPRE Norfolk’s new interactive map and countryside exhibition has attracted significant attention this week, not just for revealing how many large-scale solar farm proposals are now in the planning system across Norfolk, but for sparking fresh debate about national policy and local impact.

Our map, which brings together all current and emerging applications for solar developments in the county, paints a striking picture of just how many agricultural landscapes could be changed if all proposals go ahead. The extensive footprint shown on the map has served to highlight the cumulative impact of these proposals, something that individual planning applications often obscure when considered in isolation.

National approach fails to protect Norfolk’s countryside

Trustee David Hook raised a growing concern among rural communities and environmental groups: that the current national approach to renewable energy deployment fails to balance urgent climate action with protection of Norfolk’s countryside, farmland and local voices. In particular, David pointed to comments from Energy Secretary Angela Eagle in Parliament, where she stressed that only a small fraction of UK land is currently covered by solar farms, a figure sometimes used to justify widespread deployment on open countryside.

While this national statistic may be technically true, our map and local experience tell a more complex story.

Norfolk disproportionately hit

Norfolk is already seeing a high concentration of proposals covering thousands of acres of productive farmland, much of it classed as high quality, and many communities feel their concerns about landscape character, food production and local consultation are being overlooked.

As David Hook remarked in the EDP article, this isn’t a question of opposing renewable energy, CPRE Norfolk strongly supports the transition to clean energy in principle, but of how and where it is delivered. He emphasised that renewable energy policy must recognise the real-world consequences of permitting large solar arrays on greenfield agricultural land, and ensure that local voices and landscape values are fully factored into decision-making.

Our map and accompanying exhibition are designed precisely to support that broader conversation, giving residents, planners and decision-makers a clear tool to see where proposals are most concentrated and to consider alternatives such as rooftop solar, brownfield sites or community-led energy schemes.

Visit our exhibition, explore the map and and read the full Eastern Daily Press article to understand why this discussion matters to so many people across the county.

Visit the exhibition