Agenda item

Motion submitted by Cllr Barber regarding preservation of the Fenland landscape and recognition of the area of Fenland as a critical food producing area.

Councillor Barber presented her motion regarding preserving the Fenland landscape and recognising the area of Fenland as a critical food producing area.

Councillor Taylor seconded the motion and members made the following comments:

·         Councillor Tierney expressed the opinion that Governments have gone completely mad because the only thing that seems to matter to them in controlling the weather and the threat of climate change. He expressed the view that food security is absolutely vital and there are lots of forms of energy but solar and wind, which are the top sources currently, are not counted on what they cost the area, the concrete that needs to be laid, the turbines, the areas of land eaten up by solar panels, the difficulty of undertaking battery storage in the long term and the costs of subsidies which are so well hidden to make these forms of energy seem inexpensive and affordable when they are not. Councillor Tierney expressed the opinion that the best form of energy that can be used is the old-fashioned forms but there is concern about the consequences of using them but he feels that the area should not starve itself or future generations by making stupid decisions now. He made the point that Fenland is a fantastic farming agricultural area, with some of the best land in the country providing a lot of food and why would this be destroyed to build some, in his view, useless solar panels.

·         Councillor Carney agreed with the comments of Councillor Tierney, solar farms and wind turbines are foisted on the area whether they are wanted or not. He takes on board Councillor Barber’s point about having the local population consulted on it and being listened to but members all know that they are not, referring to the solar farm near Fordham with local people protesting in that area and the County Council making a legal challenge against the Government, but local people and local councils no matter what they say are having them imposed by higher authorities whether it is wanted or not. Councillor Carney stated that he wholeheartedly supports this motion because if it is only a tiny mechanism to get the message driven home the nation needs to be fed and needs food. He made the point that why cannot large industrial buildings have solar panels fitted to them rather than the use of Grade 1 or 2 fertile land.

·         Councillor Gerstner stated that he fully supports this motion, he thinks it is a very good motion but unfortunately the Council has its “arms tied behind its back” in planning terms as for many years in this area building has been allowed on Grade 1 agricultural land because of planning rules and regulations. He feels it is a travesty that building is taking place on good quality farmland, it is known that farmers suffer and he has a farmer near to him where his farm was flooded and whose yield was only 50% of what he normally gets and he is looking to sell the land to build on because he will make more money from it. Councillor Gerstner made the point that the country should be feeding itself long before building more wind turbines and more solar farms, with there being a hidden cost to this and not being what all Governments have stated being cheap energy, with the days of cheap energy having gone.

·         Councillor Summers stated that he is not sure what the old ways are that Councillor Tierney referred to but thinks nuclear is the only real answer. He feels the motion is about preserving Grade 1 agricultural land for food security and that is of utmost importance, he is not sure is anyone is listening but the Council has to try so he fully supports the motion.

·         Councillor Miscandlon referred to an application for wind turbines when he was Chairman of Planning Committee and he did a quick calculation of how much land it was actually using and with them growing wheat on the land in one year they would produce enough wheat to make over a million loaves of bread so security of Fenland’s farming land is paramount and it should be protected at all costs. He feels that the Government, whichever party it is, should be made aware that the farmland in Fenland is paramount in feeding this country without importing it as every piece of food that comes in from abroad has a cost attached to it and this country’s standards are also strict so he will support this motion.

·         Councillor Gowler echoed the comments of the other councillors that had spoken, successive Governments since the 1980s have completely failed to solve the energy crisis and nuclear power stations should have been built everywhere but unfortunately this has not happened. He stated that he supports the motion but made the point that the reservoir is a national infrastructure project and as a Council this has been supported so questioned whether there might be an amendment to mention this.

·         Councillor Hicks stated that he supports the motion being very pro-farming but does not know whether any members saw a programme a couple of days ago on solar panels where they were growing crops underneath the solar panels and in the rows between and they were getting better results and tastier produce so it is possible to farm and it has been undertaken on various sites already.

·         Councillor Patrick stated that he will support the motion as he does agree that Fenland’s farmland needs to be protected but he is also concerned about the rise of temperatures within the world and if nothing happens on the energy front and fossil fuel and oil is continued to be burnt the temperatures will eventually be pushed up so high that the land will become infertile.

·         Councillor Mrs Laws stated that she supports the motion, the new emerging Local Plan is looking at building, design and trying to persuade developers to look at putting solar panels on new developments and any buildings that come forward. She referred to the comments of Councillor Hicks and made the point that this has taken place, to her knowledge, for over 35 years in Germany not only food production but animals, mainly sheep.

·         Councillor Taylor made the point that it is obvious that he supports this motion and referred to Councillor Mrs Laws comments regarding developers, which is something he has been pursuing for the last five years and there has been a lot of negativity come back because the power companies do not want solar panels on a lot of house roofs as they are not getting money out of it so this is something that needs to be investigated. He stated that in regard to solar farms, there is footage from last weekend from the country’s largest solar farm and the land has been obliterated, with the company who own the farm stating that they are not designed for those sort of weather conditions. Councillor Taylor referred to a wind turbine where a whole fan came off in one go and went across the ground like a boomerang but when you talk to a proper meteorologist this country’s weather circles are running on 20 year patterns so there is another 15-17 years to go within the weather situation that there is at the moment and the wind turbines and solar panels are not fit for this weather. He expressed the view that a 2 megawatt turbine, which is a small one, requires 260 tonnes of steel and that requires 300 tonnes of iron ore and 170 tonnes of coking coal which is mined to produce the steel for the footings, which is not including the concrete and this is then transported to the manufacturers then to site and if a turbine turned every second of its life it would never produce as much power as it took to manufacture it and questioned how is that green. Councillor Taylor made the point that the country is an island and surrounded by sea and power could be simply produced from sea water at very minimal costs to what there is now and the farmland would be safe.

Councillor Barber in summing up thanked members who appreciated and agreed with the motion. She stated that it is suggested that a billion solar panels will be fitted across Britain to hit Net Zero targets and apparently the wind turbine blades are not recyclable and have to go into landfill. Councillor Barber expressed the opinion that it is important that the Council does something but she is not sure what it is.

The motion was approved.

(Councillor Marks left the meeting following this item and for the remainder of the agenda items)