Help us protect the open landscapes and fertile farmlands of Romney Marsh in Kent from mass solar industrialisation!

Three major new proposals, if all granted permission, will have an enormous cumulative impact. Shepway Energy Park, South Brooks Solar Farm and South Kent Energy Park together cover approximately 6,100 acres (around 2,470 hectares) — an area roughly equivalent to three Gatwick Airport, or roughly 10% of the wider defined Marsh area.

The proposals would affect substantial areas of productive agricultural land, including areas of Best and Most Versatile farmland, as well as the distinctive landscapes, habitats and communities of Romney Marsh.

We do not object to the transition to renewable energy. But we want the UK Government to prioritise solar energy expansion on rooftops, car parks, commercial buildings and brownfield sites. Where large renewable energy infrastructure projects do go ahead, we want communities to have a meaningful voice and to benefit fairly and properly from hosting nationally significant infrastructure.

Most importantly, we want the cumulative impact of all three schemes properly assessed, rather than each development considered largely in isolation.

Ultimately, we want to protect Romney Marsh from industrialisation.

Solar panels on rooftops and previously developed land — not the wholesale industrialisation of farmland and countryside.

Hands Off Our Marsh (HOOM) is working with CPRE Kent, the Kent branch of CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England), and engaging with organisations including RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife to highlight the potential cumulative impact of these schemes.

But effective participation in three major infrastructure projects requires specialist expertise.

We need access to independent ecological and environmental expertise and, as these proposals progress through the planning process, specialist planning and legal advice. This will help us scrutinise the developers' evidence, understand the cumulative effects of the three schemes and ensure that the impacts on Romney Marsh and its communities are properly represented.

This is not about being anti-solar energy. It is not a political campaign and we do not support any political party over another. It just makes sense to save our countryside and best farm land for farming, not for mass industrialisation.  

Please help us ensure a small rural community has access to the independent expertise it needs to have an effective voice in decisions that could permanently change Romney Marsh.