Noventum Power plans huge solar farm near Long Stratton

Noventum Power is seeking permission for the latest project near Long Stratton, which could span roughly 2,500 acres.

It is the fifth major scheme for the county to emerge in recent weeks, and while many details remain under wraps it is expected to be one of the biggest in the UK.

These projects combined will see solar panels installed across a grand total of 17,000 acres of countryside - equivalent to almost 10,000 football pitches. 

This comes as the Labour government begins to usher major energy schemes through the planning process in a hugely ambitious bid to decarbonise the grid by the end of the decade.

Energy Secretary Ed Milliband (Image: Jordan Pettitt) Because of their size, a decision on whether these Norfolk projects can go ahead will ultimately rest with Ed Miliband, the secretary of state for energy and net zero, rather than local councils.

This has led Kay Mason Billig, leader of Norfolk County Council, to criticise the government for its "blinkered and fanatical drive" to meet this target despite local concerns about the impact on rural landscapes and loss of farmland.

She described this as a "gold rush" as more and more schemes crop up across the region. 

SOLAR SURGE

Plans for several huge solar farms across Norfolk have emerged in recent weeks as the UK government tries to hit its ambitious net zero targets.

The biggest planned solar farm for the region - and the largest in the pipeline in the UK - is in Gissing, near Long Stratton, where 900 megawatts of power is expected to be generated across approximately 5,000 acres.

Mystery surrounds the exact location of the new farm (Image: Daniel Leal-Olivas) There are also proposals for East Pye, which will cover 2,700 acres around several villages close to Long Stratton.

Two more Norfolk developments have been proposed further afield; High Grove, a 4,000-acre scheme near Dereham and Swaffham, and the Droves, spanning 2,800 acres on an adjoining site.

The Droves and High Grove solar farms will be close to the A47 in Swaffham (Image: Ian Burt) READ MORE: Final section for major housing development on city outskirts gets green light

The scale of these projects suggest the latest Long Stratton development, which would produce 460 megawatts, could span some 2,500 acres.

If they all go ahead, the county's solar stock could be just one large project away from matching the size of the Sandringham estate, which stretches across some 20,000 acres. 

In contrast, it is understood that at the beginning of the year there were just 2,200 acres of solar farms in Norfolk. 

LATEST LONG STRATTON SCHEME

While still in the early stages of development, energy firm Noventum has sought permission to connect the latest scheme to the National Grid near Long Stratton.

The company is currently engaging with interested landowners prior to submitting a formal planning application for the project. 

Long Stratton appears to have become a hotspot for these developments due to its location along the proposed 114-mile pylon line from Dunston, near Norwich, to Tilbury on the Thames estuary.

While the pylon scheme is still in the consultation stage and yet to be approved, energy firms seem to be anticipating the benefits of building solar panels close to the power lines, which would increase the cost-efficiency of the farms. 

FURY AT 'GOLD RUSH'

The new solar projects unveiled in Norfolk have prompted fierce opposition in many rural communities, who have raised concerns about the loss of farmland and the implications for food security.

They are also worried about the cost and efficiency of the schemes, as well as the impact on rural landscapes.

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

Mr Miliband has declared his intention to push ahead with onshore windfarms and solar farms across the country, with the 600MW Cottam solar project in Lincolnshire being one of the latest to be given the green light - despite strong local objections.

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Norfolk County Council leader Kay Mason Billig (Image: Norfolk County Council) Norfolk County Council's leader, Mrs Mason Billig, described the latest scheme in Long Stratton as "deeply worrying".

She said: "I see this sudden gold rush to sign up acres of land as a precursor to the expected planning permission for the new pylons, it is a perverse and back-to-front policy.

"We appear to be being driven roughshod over by the secretary of state in his blinkered and fanatical drive for the utopia of net zero by 2030.

"There is no common sense being applied, no thought for the long-term repercussions, no thought for the impact this will have on local people, their wellbeing, the environmental damage, or their losses due to this blight.

"We should not be bounced into an unacceptable and unmitigable situation. It must be stopped."