Farmers in Staffordshire fear their land is being "stolen" for massive solar developments - and are being urged to back a major campaign to stop it.
Staffordshire County Council's Stop the Solar Land Grab campaign has warned that the county's rural communities are "under attack" from huge international developers who want to carpet the countryside with solar panels.
The council itself has confirmed 5,000 acres across the county have been ring-fenced for solar farm development, and has warned that pannelling the fields would force the county to choose between food and energy security.
Councillor Andrew Mynors said last year farmers are being repeatedly pressured by companies to sell their land for renewable energy schemes.
Then, this January, the council wrote to MPs - with discussions with the Department for Energy now underway.
The campaign says that districts and borough councils can approve planning applications for solar farms "without looking at the bigger picture across the county, and the Government is not developing the national picture fast enough".
One of those, a 55-hectare solar farm approved for land near Tamworth more than two years ago, sparked fresh debate at a recent council meeting.
Councillor Tracey Dougherty raised concerns on behalf of local residents over the development at Amington Moors.
The Amington Moors solar farm sparked fresh debate at a recent council meeting (file photo)
| PAShe asked what councillors were doing to address fears over fires, "particularly given public concerns about lithium-ion storage, emergency access, and environmental risk".
In response, Mr Mynors said: "We engaged with Tamworth Borough Council Planning, Staffordshire County Council Planning, National Grid, and the developer's UK representatives to seek clarification on matters including fire safety, emergency access and lines of accountability.
"We were advised that no battery storage is proposed for this site."
Their enquiries prompted Tamworth Borough Council to open discussions with the fire service, which had not been consulted during the original planning submission.
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"However," he added, "residents have continued to express concerns about the choice of location, particularly the use of productive agricultural land, and have asked why alternative options, such as brownfield sites or rooftop installations, were not utilised in preference to this highly valued area."
Mr Mynors highlighted that farmers across Staffordshire have faced significant pressure from multinational corporations seeking to acquire their land.
He said: "A lot of discussion has been on farms and the farming community.
"We rely on farming in Staffordshire and all of the farmers we have spoken to have felt a great duress of the pressure they are having from multinational companies coming to Staffordshire and we're saying they're stealing our land."
Mr Mynors then described the situation as "a battle that Staffordshire and rural communities are taking to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero".
Farmers and the council are 'battling' Ed Miliband's Department for Energy, Andrew Mynors said
| GETTYThe local authority has contacted the Government requesting improved national and regional coordination for renewable energy projects and battery storage systems.
"We are concerned about the growing number of solar farms and battery storage in rural Staffordshire," the campaign's website says.
"Currently there is no coordination on solar and alternative energy nationally or locally... Something must be done."
In response to the campaign, Energy Minister Michael Shanks said the Government "recognises the importance of good planning, local engagement, and appropriate regulation".
"We will continue to work with local authorities and stakeholders to ensure that renewable energy deployment is managed in a balanced and coordinated way," he added.