00:00The future of farming in Old Romney may be harvesting energy rather than food on the land.
00:06We've proposed developments of a new solar and energy storage park,
00:10which is said to provide enough clean energy to power around 20% of all households in Kent every year.
00:16But residents are speaking out against what they are calling solar sprawl.
00:20Around 60 residents have been walking along the borders of farmland and the marsh
00:25to raise awareness of the solar panel plans for the land.
00:29Hands off our marsh say they are not against clean energy,
00:32with the land already home to a wind farm and solar panels.
00:36But they are concerned over the size of the industrial solar plant.
00:39And the solar panels will be up to 5 metres high because we're in a flood zone,
00:45so depending on the solar panels they choose,
00:47but we're anticipating that they will need to be raised above the ground significantly to avoid flood risk.
00:53And the battery storage units will need to be built on concrete plinths,
01:00and they'll be housed in shipping containers that are about 4.5 metres high.
01:06So if you imagine the size of Gatwick Airport,
01:09and covering that with these huge solar panels and huge battery storage containers,
01:15we're really talking about proper industrialisation of beautiful green countryside.
01:19They worry that not only does this mean a lot of greyed farmland,
01:22but there's scenic walks and wildlife too.
01:25Concern is around using prime land to put solar in an area where we have really high winds,
01:33we're on a flood plain, and we don't get a lot of sun today being an exception.
01:38And we just don't think it's the most efficient place to do it.
01:43Put it on top of car parks, on buildings, but we just don't want it on farmland.
01:51And our other main concern, living in the marsh, is the drainage system that we have around here.
01:57We're really, really concerned about the impacts on our wider community from a flooding perspective.
02:03The South Kent Energy Park is just one of three proposals planned for the area.
02:09But developers of the site Low Carbon say that they are carefully reviewing the survey data
02:14and the feedback they have received.
02:16Adding that the changing climate poses a threat to UK agriculture and food security.
02:21They said their firm believes that their energy projects can benefit UK wildlife.
02:26Though the land's future remains uncertain,
02:29residents will continue to walk and raise awareness of their concerns
02:32about the loss of their scenic farmland.
02:35Daisy Page for KMTV
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