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Calum Miller, Member of Parliament for Bicester & Woodstock

I continue to support the need for a transition away from energy produced from fossil fuels and I welcome the new government's focus on this. I support the emphasis on planning standards to make rooftop solar standard and welcome the recognition from the Secretary of State that we need a comprehensive approach to land use. We also desperately need investment in the National Grid so that it can accept and support new electricity supply.

Despite this, I share many of the specific concerns expressed to me about the Botley West scheme. I do not support the current proposal and have responded to the targeted consultation, urging the developers to engage more meaningfully with the legitimate concerns of local residents and businesses. I am very disappointed to learn from a number of sources that, despite writing to the developers to express specific concerns or request specific further information, there has been no response. The recent targeted consultation was a good opportunity to demonstrate to local residents and their representatives that they had taken on board the many comments provided in writing and in person as part of the Phase 2 consultation that concluded in February. I am therefore disappointed that the updated proposals make minimal changes to reflect these comments. Where changes are proposed, a number of residents have informed me that there is insufficient detail (for example in the thumbnail maps) for them to comment accurately. They have also said that they feel there was inadequate publicity of this consultation.

I will continue to do all that I can to press the developers to engage more meaningfully with local residents and to take more account of the concerns being raised. I will continue to work with all local MPs and councillors to ensure our voices are heard. I will also seek a meeting with Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State, to ensure that he is fully aware of the local situation that needs to be taken into account should he be asked in future to consider this proposal.

Layla Moran MP, Liberal Democrat

I fully understand the strong feelings of the local community towards the proposed Botley West Solar Farm. Many residents have raised serious questions about the scale of the proposal, its impact on the landscape, and the financial links of the developers.

I firmly believe that we need to address climate change, and that investing in renewable energy plays a vital part in that fight. But we have seen a complete lack of investment or strategy from this government that balances the needs of biodiversity, energy and food production.

I am concerned that in the Botley West Scheme we are seeing a deficit of local democracy and I have raised this directly in Parliament. The Phase 2 consultation has been completely developer-led with the ultimate planning decision being made by central government. My concern is that in by-passing local communities in this way, critical local knowledge will be lost.

Many residents have voiced serious concerns to me about the consultation process, with poorly briefed representatives at consultation events, poor visualisations of how the scheme would look and lack of engagement with villages such as Yarnton.

As to the proposal itself, residents are right to point out that we need renewables, and solar is part of that mix. There exists several key concerns raised by residents. They tell me that:

• There is significant concern that the sheer size and scale of the proposal will have significant adverse impacts on the landscape in an area that is particularly sensitive
• The case for the very special circumstances needed to develop land in the Oxford Green Belt has yet to be adequately demonstrated.
• There is concern on the loss of Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land within the Vale and the impacts this will have on future food security
• There are specific concerns about the interpretation of the Important Views Policy in the Cumnor Parish Neighbourhood Plan and that visualisations are not complete or an accurate representation of the visual impact of the solar arrays and associated sub-station. The mitigation as it stands would not be sufficient from higher viewpoints
• There has been little attempt to outline what community benefits will flow through from such a scheme
• Concerns have been voiced about the impact on listed and non-designated heritage assets
• The land in Farmoor Valley sits between several stands of ancient woodland, in proximity to the SSSI at Wytham Woods and Local Wildlife Sites, which has raised concerns about the impact on bat and bird species in the area

You may be interested to read the comments submitted by the Vale of White Horse District Council https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/2024-02-06-Vale-S42-Response.pdf

As it stands, I am not convinced the developers have sufficiently answered constituents’ concerns or made the case that this is the right solution for Oxfordshire.