Council asks Welsh Government for rooftop-first approach
Monmouthshire County Council has formally backed a motion calling for a presumption against large-scale ground-mounted solar on prime agricultural land and for a “rooftops before fields” policy. The motion, brought by Conservative councillor Fay Bromfield, asks the Welsh Government to adopt the approach and requires the council to strengthen the information it provides on applications that are decided at Welsh Government level.
What the motion seeks
The motion instructs the council to ensure its local impact reports submitted on solar farm proposals give detailed consideration to:
- loss of agricultural land
- landscape and visual impact
- impacts on biodiversity
- highways and local economy effects
Members were told the change is not intended to oppose renewable energy per se but to steer where it is delivered.
Debate at the meeting
The motion attracted disagreement within the cabinet. The council's deputy leader, Paul Griffiths, who is the cabinet member responsible for planning, urged councillors to reject the proposal, saying it risked amounting to a blanket objection to panels on farmland rather than maintaining the council’s current policy of assessing each application on its individual merits.
“I asked councillors to reject the motion which I described as a ‘blanket objection’ to placing solar panels on farmland,”
But supporters argued there is a rising number of large-scale schemes sited on productive agricultural land and that the council needs a clear, county-wide position.
Local projects and wider implications
The motion makes specific reference to the application known as Candwr Solar Farm (Court Farm), a proposal that spans the boundaries of Newport, Torfaen and Monmouthshire, including the Llangybi Fawr ward. Councillors backing the motion said such cross-border proposals highlight the need for stronger national guidance so local concerns about farming, views and rural livelihoods are consistently considered.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Proposer | Fay Bromfield (Conservative) |
| Opposed by | Paul Griffiths (Deputy leader, planning portfolio) |
| Key request | Welsh Government adopt rooftop-first, presumption against large ground-mounted on prime agricultural land |
What residents should expect next
If the Welsh Government were to accept the council’s request, planning decisions on large-scale solar schemes would be guided by a stronger national steer to favour rooftop or non-agricultural sites. For the time being, the council will be expected to provide more robust local impact reporting on schemes under Welsh Government determination, a change that could influence how cross-border applications are assessed and the evidence presented on landscape, biodiversity and local economic effects.
