The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning policies and decisions should recognise the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land and that where significant development is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of higher quality. This requirement would apply to both housing and solar developments. The Framework is also clear that local authorities should encourage efficient use of land and acknowledges the importance of undeveloped land for food production.<\/p>
In the case of solar, guidance sets an expectation that large-scale solar farms are sites on previously developed and non-agricultural land, provided it is not of high environmental value. Where projects are proposed on greenfield sites, our guidance seeks to minimise the impacts and requires developers to justify the use of any such land. Our guidance also requires that projects are designed to avoid, mitigate and, where necessary, compensate for impacts on the best and most versatile agricultural land.<\/p>
These aspects of planning policy are devolved in Wales.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4032", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Stuart Andrew"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Pudsey"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stuart Andrew"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-03-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-03-17T17:37:56.013Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "211"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Levelling Up, Housing and Communities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Levelling Up, Housing and Communities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-03-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Land Use"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to protect Grade 1 land from housing and solar developments to preserve land for the production of food; and what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on that matter.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4859", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Virginia Crosbie"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ynys Môn"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Virginia Crosbie"} ], "uin" : "139629"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 1, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }