Solar Farm Security: Fencing, CCTV, Insurance and What to Agree in the Lease

If a solar farm is built on your land, you will be asked whether it is secure: by neighbours, by the planning authority and, if you keep stock or farm next door, by your own insurer. This guide sets out what the main published guidance says and the questions a landowner should settle in the option and lease. It is published by an independent publisher; it does not give security or insurance advice, so ask your insurer, and the operator’s insurer, for their own requirements.

The police-backed reference guide

Security Matters reported on 20 July 2026 that Police Crime Prevention Initiatives had published the Secured by Design Solar Farm Guide, in partnership with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership. The guide runs to 44 pages and is aimed at security professionals, developers, designers, operators, planning authorities and contractors. It sets out practical advice on proportionate, risk-based security measures, with the stated aim of preventing theft and criminal damage, and links that to uninterrupted generation, lower repair costs and reassurance for planners and residents.

Essex Police’s Heather Gurden is quoted as saying the force strongly advocates a layered approach, combined with targeted investment in protecting high-value assets. Aviva’s head of renewable energy underwriting, Victoria Kent, welcomed the guide as “the industry and police aligned standard for solar farm security”. For a landowner the practical point is that an operator whose scheme follows this guide is working to the standard insurers and police now point to; you can ask which parts the scheme will follow.

What fencing councils expect

Expect the boundary fence to be a planning matter. In a response filed with a nationally significant solar application (Planning Inspectorate reference EN010147, 28 March 2025), a Thames Valley Police Designing Out Crime Officer set out that security fencing, rather than post and rail, is the minimum for a solar farm, and pointed to the LPS 1175 standard for tested fence performance. Other planning consultations make similar points. These are police responses to individual applications, not a national rule, and the right specification depends on the site and the risk, but they show what an applicant is likely to be asked for.

Fencing is also a landscape question. A security fence and gates change how the site looks from homes and roads, and the council weighs that against the security case. Hedgerows and planting outside the fence are the usual compromise; ask the developer to show how the two have been balanced on your site.

CCTV, lighting and access

CCTV and lighting are part of the layered approach, but they carry planning, ecology and neighbour questions of their own: lighting can affect bats and nearby homes, and cameras raise data-protection duties for whoever operates them. Ask what is proposed and who is responsible for monitoring it. Access matters too: the operator needs vehicle access for maintenance, and you may need access across or around the site for farming. Agree gate locations, who holds keys or codes, and what happens if an access point is blocked.

What to agree in the lease

Question	Why it matters to you
Who is responsible for fencing, gates and CCTV, and for repairing them?	A damaged fence is a livestock and trespass risk for neighbouring land you still farm
Who holds keys or access codes, and who must be told of an incident?	Both sides need a clear route to reach each other after a break-in or a fire
Which party insures the equipment, the site and third-party liability?	Ask for evidence of the operator’s cover; your own insurer may ask what the lease says
Does the scheme follow the Secured by Design guide, and which parts?	It is the reference standard insurers and police now cite
What is removed at the end, and what security backs it?	Fencing, foundations and cables should be covered by the decommissioning obligation and bond

Our solar farm land lease guide covers option agreements, indexation and the decommissioning bond. If you are choosing between leasing and owning an array, remember that owning puts security on you: see how much an acre of solar panels makes for the capital and risk you would carry, and planning permission for ground-mounted solar for what the council will ask. The solar farm land calculator gives a first idea of scale.

Frequently asked questions

Who is responsible for security on a leased solar farm?

Normally the operator, but the lease should say so. Settle who maintains fencing and CCTV, who holds keys, who insures the site and what happens to security at the end of the lease.

What fencing does a solar farm need?

It depends on the site and the planning authority. A Thames Valley Police Designing Out Crime Officer response to a nationally significant solar application said security fencing rather than post and rail is the minimum and pointed to the LPS 1175 standard; other consultations make similar points. Check what the council has asked for on your scheme.

Is there official guidance on solar farm security?

Yes. The Secured by Design Solar Farm Guide, a 44-page document from Police Crime Prevention Initiatives with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership, was reported in July 2026. It recommends proportionate, risk-based, layered measures.

Sources

• Security Matters, 20 July 2026: Secured by Design Solar Farm Guide (Police Crime Prevention Initiatives with the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership); quotes from Essex Police and Aviva
• Thames Valley Police Designing Out Crime Officer response, Planning Inspectorate EN010147 (28 March 2025): security fencing and LPS 1175
• Farmers Weekly, July 2024: solar lease terms and decommissioning