Richard is committed to protecting farmland from opportunistic, short-term solutions to clean energy goals and preserving the countryside from a proliferation of ten-foot solar panels. As a CPRE Rooftop Solar Champion, Richard advocates for rooftop solar as a viable energy solution. Learn more about Richard's role.
In March 2024, Richard met with Cambridge Power to discuss their Cobholden Solar Farm proposal, stressing the importance of community engagement and clear communication.
Distinct from the Cambridge Power proposal is the East Park Energy project, which Richard has actively engaged with since he was made aware of the proposal. In November 2023, Richard met with the Parish Councils of Little Staughton, Dean and Shelton, Swineshead and Pertenhall, and Bolnhurst and Keysoe to address their concerns. Read more about these meetings.
Richard has been gathering feedback from residents and encourages further input on the proposed 1900 acre solar farm, which would significantly alter the North Bedfordshire landscape. Share your views on the proposal.
Richard has continued to press the Government on national policy regarding the use of agricultural land for solar farms, as seen in his parliamentary question. View the details and the Minister’s response.
Following discussions with RNA Energy, Richard published his letter to them and their responses to his questions. Read the correspondence here.
Although the then-developer RNA Energy declined Richard's recommendation to host public meetings, he remains proactive. In April 2024, he held a further virtual meeting with local Parish Councils to discuss the next steps. Find out more about this meeting.
Since RNA Energy's correspondence in February this year, Brockwell Energy has acquired the East Park Energy project. Richard met with Brockwell Energy in May to convey constituent concerns and urged them to engage with local residents. Richard continues to advocate for community involvement and transparency in these proposals.
Within days of the General Election on 4 July 2024, the new Labour government gave the go-ahead to three large solar farm proposals in the country, one in Lincolnshire, one covering Rutland and Lincolnshire and the other in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. In light of this news, Richard has again met with the owners of the East Park Energy project and with affected parish councils to discuss their reaction to the news and to ensure that residents' voices are heard as much as possible in the planning process.
The statutory consultation on this proposal ran from Tuesday 24 September 2024 until Tuesday 29 October 2024. Richard objected to the proposla and his submission to the consultation can be read here.
Given that the new Labour Government appears to be moving fast to approve other solar farm proposals, Richard has also written to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, to ask for a meeting with him to discuss the East Park Energy solar farm proposal in his constituency.
See below for all of Richard's news on Solar Power and Solar Farms.
