Botley West solar farm

Developers are proposing a new solar farm in the west of Oxfordshire, called Botley West solar farm. It would be the largest solar farm in Europe, covering 3,400 acres, the size of 2000 football pitches.

West Oxfordshire Green Party welcomes the government’s delayed realization that we need an alternative to fossil fuels but, like many residents, is concerned about the size, location and ecological value of the proposed scheme. The need for installations on this scale may not have come about if the government had tackled the climate crisis sooner, upgrading the national grid and encouraging small, community based generation schemes. Unfortunately, we are running out of time. 

Many residents engaged with the community consultation last year. The developers are aware that there is a lot of resistance to their plans, and so they will be keen to prove that they are listening. The energy policy of the Green Party of England & Wales recognises solar energy as a key source of decentralised generation, but emphasises that we should be making full use of domestic, commercial and industrial roof space and supports limited deployment of ‘solar farms’. In West Oxfordshire Green Party, we have several members, including our two district councillors,  with expertise in solar technologies and in food, farming and soil health. We are scrupulously investigating the scheme, and looking for ways its environmental and community benefits could be maximized, if the proposal was supported by the National Planning Inspectorate.

Much of the land that Botley West would use has been intensively farmed and, for this reason, it is not unreasonable for the developers to claim that biodiversity would be improved by the scheme. Large, over-cultivated fields with few hedgerows are always terrible for nature, so a switch to solar panels and the end of ploughing, fertilisers and pesticides really could benefit the soil and nature.

Because of its size, the decision about whether Botley West will go ahead is being treated as a national infrastructure project, and therefore rests with the national Planning Inspectorate. West Oxfordshire District Council will have an opportunity to influence the decision through the environmental impact report they have been asked to prepare. It will be a lengthy process, and the decision will not be made before 2025.  We will update our page with more information whenever there are developments.

The developers’ website is here:

https://botleywest.co.uk/Home-Botley-West.html

Scroll down their home page till you see “indicative project timeline”

More information from West Oxfordshire District Council can be found here:

https://www.westoxon.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/botley-west-solar-farm/

Chris Goodall, a journalist and expert in new energy technologies (and former Green Party parliamentary candidate) has looked at many of the concerns about the proposed solar farm here:

https://www.carboncommentary.com/blog/2023/1/12/c1d9rhg8s4j3t88vdkqi5d26epwpfd