Controversial solar farm plans submitted to government

Plans to build one of Europe's largest solar farms have been submitted to the government.

The proposed 1,000-hectare (2,471-acre) Botley West Solar Farm would cover sites near Botley, Kidlington and Woodstock in Oxfordshire.

Developer Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) said it sent its proposals to the government's Planning Inspectorate on Friday.

Campaigners told BBC Radio Oxford the development, which they label as "far too big", would increase flood risk in the surrounding areas.

Two public consultations have taken place since the plans were first announced in 2022.

Mark Owen-Lloyd, who is managing the PVDP project, said it had been a "long and very arduous road" to reach this point.

"I've spent the last two years talking to opponents and supporters of the scheme and everyone's opinion has got weight and validity," he said.

The application will first have to receive consent from the Planning Inspectorate before being examined in depth over six months.

"The next stage is entirely evidence-based, so ourselves and those who disagree with us will be able to sit in front of a planning inspector and present hard evidence...," Mr Owen-Lloyd said.

If approved, the site would provide renewable energy to homes in Oxfordshire from the end of 2026.

Campaign group Stop Botley West had previously said the scheme was "of a scale that's entirely inappropriate for this region".

Alex Rogers, who is chair of the group, said it would present "extremely strong" evidence to the inspectorate.

He criticised PDVP for making "almost no changes" following the consultations.

He also claimed the farm would "exacerbate" flooding in the area.

"This particular scheme is far too big - it's sited in an area of very complex topography with river catchments of several rivers," he said.

In response, Mr Owen-Lloyd said: "We had six months' rain in the month of October, so it's slightly counterintuitive to accuse a solar farm of being the risk here rather than the very real danger of climate change."

He added that experts had been analysing the flood risk on the site for the past three years and had found the development may "alleviate floods".

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