Council says national infrastructure is being 'imposed' on Lincolnshire communities
Authority warns the combined impact of multiple large developments is being overlooked
Lincolnshire County Council is calling for changes to the way nationally significant infrastructure projects are approved, warning that local communities are being left with little real influence over decisions that could reshape large parts of the county.
Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects - known as NSIPs - are major developments such as large solar farms, wind farms and energy infrastructure.
Unlike most planning applications, they are not decided by local councils, but by central government, following a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate.
In Lincolnshire, nine NSIPs have already been approved - despite local objections being raised to every one of them. A further 16 projects are currently in the planning pipeline.
Councillor Danny Brookes, Lincolnshire County Council’s Executive Councillor for Environment, says the system is failing to properly listen to local people.
“What we’re asking for is real community influence,” he said.
“Every single one of these projects had objections - a lot of objections - yet they were all passed anyway.”
He argues that while each development may be assessed individually, the bigger picture is being missed.
“It’s always ‘only’ 2,000 acres or ‘only’ 3,000 acres - but when you put them all together, it’s tens of thousands of acres of farmland,” he said.
“That’s a massive amount of Lincolnshire being swallowed up.”
Councillor Brookes also raised concerns about food security, describing Lincolnshire as “the bread basket of the country”, and questioned whether concentrating so many projects in one area is fair.
“You’ve got to balance energy security with food security,” he said.
“One county shouldn’t be expected to endure everything - it needs to be spread more evenly.”
The county council has now written to the Government calling for a review of the NSIP planning process, asking for reforms that would give communities a more meaningful voice, ensure cumulative impacts are properly assessed, and improve transparency and accountability.
“National infrastructure should be delivered with communities - not imposed on them,” said Councillor Brookes.
A government spokesperson has said “every wind turbine, solar panel and pylon we build helps protect families from future energy shocks.
“All projects are subject to a rigorous planning process and the views of the local community must be taken into account.”