Jersey States makes it harder to build solar panels on farm land

Jersey politicians have voted to make it harder to build solar panels on farm land.

Deputy Montfort Tadier initially brought a proposition to ban solar ground mounts on agricultural land after sponsoring a petition signed by more than 800 people.

However, after feedback he amended it and the States Assembly approved a version where there is now a “presumption against” solar farms on agricultural land — so the default position for planners is to refuse them.

Save This View — a group that has campaigned against solar farms in Jersey — welcomed the decision and has called for Jersey Electricity (JE) to completely scrap plans for a solar farm in St Mary, which are currently on hold.

In the proposition, Tadier said he was not against renewable energy or against JE looking to diversify its energy supply.

“In short, my starting position is that Jersey fields should be kept for agriculture,” he said.

“If we are to be more environmental and more sustainable, we should be looking first and foremost to being more self-sufficient in terms of food.

“Food security remains a critical area for us, and at this time of year especially, we are mindful that we are only need a few days of stormy weather to find that many of the shops’ shelves are empty.”