MP says solar farm case 'still full of holes'

An MP has called for the government to refuse the application for one of Europe's largest solar farms, as he says its case is "still full of holes".

Calum Miller, Lib Dem MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said questions around the Botley West Solar Farm submission, including impact on nearby communities and uncertainty over the proposed grid connection, "remain unanswered".

Developer Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) said it had addressed each point and added the application had been developed following "extensive consultation with local communities, alongside detailed environmental and technical assessments".

The government declined to comment due to the planning case being live.

PVDP wants to build the solar farm across more than 2,000 acres of land to the north and west of Oxford.

In March, it was announced that a decision would not be made until September, with minister for energy consumers Martin McCluskey explaining that would "enable" the government to "seek further information" from developers.

Miller said the government had called for final submissions last week and his response "reflected the fact that I believe that the developer has not provided adequate information to justify such a huge scheme".

"It was strongly recommended that they should identify the houses that will be most affected and agree that there should be no panels within 250 metres of them and they have not done that nor agreed to it.

"Secondly, they need to connect to the National Grid and [it] has not committed to give them a connection before 2031, which is two years after they intend to start production."

Miller also said the developers "haven't been able to clarify their financial guarantees or how the £800m that is required to build this scheme will be raised".

"That means that this is a case that's full of holes.

"My argument to the Secretary of State is that ... [he should] ask the developers to go away and come back when they're ready to actually make a serious proposal."

Among his concerns he also listed "unresolved questions concerning flood risk, aviation safety and land rights".

"I strongly support renewable energy, but that cannot mean giving developers a blank cheque," MIller said.

But PVDP said it had assessed "every home within 250 meters of the development, and listened carefully to feedback from local communities and the Planning Inspectorate".

"As a result, we have removed panels from a number of locations, increased buffer zones to residential properties and added further non-panel fields to reduce impacts on nearby homes," it said.

It added the project had been developed "in coordination with National Grid and the relevant network operators".

"We remain confident that a viable connection can be delivered in line with the project's anticipated timetable."

PVDP said it had "worked closely with hydrologists" and had collaborated with relevant local aviation authorities, "which concludes there will not be any significant issues raised by this project".

It added it had presented "full financial information" to the Planning Inspectorate, "who have not raised concerns regarding funding for the project" and that each of its partners "are satisfied" with its position.

"UK power and natural gas prices are today at four year highs, showing how urgent it is for the UK to deploy solar farms in order to increase renewable generation and lower national dependence on highly-priced fossil fuels."