It’s been a busy month. We’ve published a report on land use and solar energy, drawing on new modelling by Tony Day showing that large-scale solar offers limited grid benefits. He has also written an opinion piece in Energy World. We’ve promoted the #AskEd campaign with Stop Oversized Solar, challenging the government’s renewable-energy strategy. We’ll share further updates on national-level efforts in the New Year.
We issued an Open Letter to Ed Miliband in response to the government’s claim that 76% of the public “wouldn’t mind” living next to a solar farm. We also contacted George Freeman MP following the publication of the APPGSTA report Feeding Britain Sustainably to 2050. The document outlines a vision and strategy for increasing sustainable food production in the UK by 30% by 2050 and warns that current land-use policies risk undermining UK food security.
We continue to urge our MP to engage more fully with the shortcomings of the consultation process, which has left many residents feeling poorly informed. We appreciate the response received from Charlotte Cane, MP as well as the responses to the Kingsway Stage 2 consultation from local parish, district and county councils, which we have now linked here.
During the consultation phase we strengthened our links with communities along the grid-connection corridor, and we are now working with BEAT (Burwell Energy Awareness Team) to help maintain pressure on these issues.
You may also have noticed the trenches appearing in fields as part of the archaeological surveys being carried out for Kingsway Solar. Please record any you see and note their location using WhatThreeWords. Please use the comment facility below or email us at hello@kingswayaction.org to report these.
It has also been a busy month for wildlife, with sightings of golden plover and lapwings near the Fleam Dyke as winter migration gets underway. Please continue to log any wildlife observations on iRecord, particularly along the grid connection corridor. Every record counts. To get the most out of iRecord, please check out our information guide here.
We are working closely with the newly formed Parish Council Alliance and others who are seeking legal representation, which will be critical in the next stage. The Crowd Justice fundraiser supports this effort. This ensures that donations only go towards a fully-funded case, with automatic refunds if targets aren’t met. Every pledge, large or small, helps.
Finally, a note on sign thefts. During the consultation it was wonderful to see so many signs, banners and stickers displayed. Unfortunately, after some early incidents, we’ve now had further reports of signs being taken. These are expensive to produce and funded entirely through your donations. If signs are removed from private land, please report it to the police and request an incident number. This helps us build a clearer picture of what’s happening.
On Friday 28th November, a few of us attended the Cambridge Past, Present and Future AGM to hear Griff Rhys Jones speak on “blockers vs. builders.” He gave an inspiring talk about his work challenging major urban developments, arguing that the real blocker is a planning system that doesn’t function properly. Proudly describing himself as a NIMBY, he said opposition is about protecting our environment and sense of place – it starts at the garden gate. He highlighted two essentials for effective opposition: solid legal representation and a strong, collective voice! A review of the presentation can be found here.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas, and thank you for your support throughout 2025.
Useful links
- Join KSCA: https://kingswaysolarcommunityaction.co.uk/how-to-join-us/
- Request a sticker: hello@kingswayaction.org
- Support our local campaign: gofundme.com/f/no-to-kingsway-solar-farm
- Contribute to legal funds: crowdjustice.com/case/kingswaysolarcommunitylegalaction
- Follow us on Facebook & Instagram: #kingswaysolaraction
Lots of trenches appearing in this field along Six Mile Bottom Road – ///sugar.shippers.ranted