If it goes ahead will be the fourth largest solar farm in the world (the first three are in China and India) and would occupy a total of more than 3,400 acres (more than 2,600 football fields) North and West of Oxford city, more than three quarters of which would be on Oxford’s green belt.
We have only until December 15th to respond to the first of only two developer-led consultations about this proposal, with a second due in Spring 2023. The Botley West proposal circumvents all local planning procedures and will go directly to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate for final approval as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).
Duns Tew is within 6 kms of the solar farm and so is likely to be one of those most affected.
Please download a folder (scanned with TotalAV anti-virus) from this link which contains the consultation brochure from the proposers, two letters about the proposal in a recent issue of The Oxford Times, and some maps of the impact this will have on Oxford.
The Botley West Solar Farm, to be built on land owned by the Blenheim Estate and Merton College, would be in three sections; one North of Woodstock, between Wootton and Tackley (331 hectares, 818 acres) one, the largest, between Kidlington and Eynsham (983 hectares, 2429 acres) and one just North of Cumnor and West of Botley.(81 hectares, 200 acres). The three sites would be joined by a cable (above/below ground) and would feed into the national electricity grid via a new sub-station on the southern-most site near Botley (hence the solar farm’s name).
If you would like to express an opinion on this development you can:
a) express your opinion during the developers’ consultation exercise (details are in the developers’ brochure in the downloaded folder). Please note there are only THREE remaining chances to interact with the developers in this first consultation exercise – one on Wednesday November 30th, 1.30 to 5.30 p.m. in Cumnor Village Hall, OX2 9QF, one on Thursday December 1st, 5.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Begbroke Village Hall, OX5 1RN (this meeting is advertised on the developers website but is not listed in the brochure), and the other during a Community Webinar on December 5th, 5.30 to 7p.m. For the latter you must register your attendance in advance at this website
b) write to your Local District and County Councillors (some have already expressed an opinion in an Oxford Mail article here ) and
c)Write to your Local MP, Victoria Prentis or Robert Courts, MP for Witney, who has already expressed his reservations on his website here In it he asks people (not just constituents) to fill in a simple online form “to ensure that I am able to reflect the strength of local feeling in detail.“
Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon has also expressed her reservations in an Oxford Mail article here.
2 comments
Oxfordshire is becoming totally over-developed with housing, warehouses, etc. and to take a huge area of Green Belt for a solar farm is unacceptable, particularly when there are acres of sheds/factories etc. that could have solar panels put on them. Probably more expensive to do, but do we really want to allow a massive destruction of Green Belt in a not particularly sunny spot compared to more southerly countries?
This is a Blenheim/Merton College initiative for commercial gain. There will be no compensation for those badly affected and whose houses are currently unsaleable, unlike HS2.
There will be huge loss of amenity from the loss of public footpaths. In fairness they are putting some in but walking among the solar panels is not the same as walking in open fields and woods.
In case people hadn’t noticed we’re considerably further north than India (hardly any of which is more than 20 degrees north) and indeed most of China ( the mid point is about 35 degrees north ). How many sun hours do we get at 52 degrees north? Please don’t say solar panels work all the time there’s daylight. On that basis, over the course of a year, you’d expect the same solar power on the North Pole as the equator. It’s all about sun hours. The only place you get a sun hour in a clock hour is the equator, and even then only at mid day. Who’s calculated the number of homes it will heat? How? Can I please see the workings? Has it been calculated for England or have they just copied a figure they’ve come up with in Southern California? The effects on farming, the environment, wildlife and the local community are all important, but before all that the first thing to look at is whether it will work. I understand they have clever scientists at Merton. Can I speak to them? Oh have I said that before? Perhaps if I’d received a response I might have remembered. Can I speak to those clever scientists? Or maybe I could plait fog