Local MP opposes 'flawed' Botley West Solar Plant plans

Calum Miller MP has submitted a written statement as evidence to the Planning Inspectorate, as the panel prepares to make a decision on whether to recommend it goes ahead. He has opposed the granting of planning permission. 

The constituency of Bicester and Woodstock includes almost the whole proposed site for the Botley West solar plant. As the local MP, Calum Miller has engaged with key stakeholders throughout the planning process, including campaigns groups, the developers and the landowners, Blenheim Palace. 

Calum has followed the planning examination closely and was disappointed to find the Applicant (Solar Five/ Photovolt) did not answer several key questions asked by local groups, councils and individuals, and failed to engage fully with the evidence gathering process undertaken by the Planning Inspectorate.  

This week, he wrote to recommend planning consent was not granted for the following key reasons: 

• The Applicant has not successfully demonstrated the need for a project at the scale they propose and he continues to believe it would do material harm. 
• The developer has not taken sufficient steps to address the negative impacts of the development in line with the mitigation hierarchy required under the Development Consent Order (DCO).  
• The level of community benefit of £525 per installed MW capacity is not sufficient; there are higher rates being proposed for other, comparable schemes. 
• There are concerns about the financial structure of the scheme and the capacity of the Applicant to fund and deliver the project – and community benefits – at this scale over the lifetime of the project. 
• The repeated failure of the Applicant to engage constructively with the Examination Process is a cause of real concern.  

Calum Miller MP for Bicester and Woodstock commented: 

“It is a shame the developer chose not to engage properly either with our community or the planning process. I and fellow Liberal Democrats strongly believe in the need for investments in renewables – but that doesn’t mean we sign off on any project. 

If this plan was to go ahead it would be the largest Solar Plant in England and have a direct impact on a World Heritage site. That means it should be held to the highest standards. 

The community benefit offer is far too low, the flood risk is too high and there are still too many questions left unanswered. I expect, and hope, the panel will recommend to the Secretary of State to not grant permission, and I hope he will follow that advice.”