Scheme would span 14 sq km and produce more than 11 times more electriticity than the UK鈥檚 largest existing solar site

Tetra Tech is working on plans to build the largest solar farm in Western Europe on greenbelt land in Oxfordshire.

The Botley West solar farm would consist of 2.5 million panels spanning across 14 sq km, around the same size as the London Borough of Islington.

German solar developer Photovolt says the project could generate up to 840MW of electricity, enough to power about 330,000 homes. This would make it more than 11 times larger than the UK鈥檚 largest existing solar farm at Llanwern in south Wales.

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The scheme would occupy land around the same size of the London Borough of Islington

US firm Tetra Tech, which owns M&E consultant Hoare Lea and the consultant formerly known as WYG, is working as planning consultant on the scheme. Pinsent Masons is acting as lawyers for the project, with the team also including chartered surveyors Ardent Management.

Photovolt submitted a planning application on Friday through a development consent order (DCO), meaning it will be decided by energy secretary Ed Miliband rather than the local authority.

DCO applications can be used when a scheme is designated as a 鈥渘ationally significant infrastructure project鈥� and are often used for large energy projects including the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

The process has been criticised by local campaign group Stop Botley West, which has described the DCO as a 鈥渄eficit of democracy鈥�.

The group, which is trying to raise 拢150,000 to help block the scheme, says the farm would blight the landscape with 110km of security fencing, threaten rare water meadows and use up arable land.

A spokesperson for Photovolt said only around two thirds of the site would be taken up with solar panels, with the remainder reserved for 鈥減lanting, native grasses, community growing and land set aside for mitigation near villages鈥�.

Around 25km of additional hedgerows will also be planted, aiming to increase the site鈥檚 biodiversity by up to 70%.

The Labour government has promised to treble the UK鈥檚 solar power over the next five years as part of plans to decarbonise the grid by 2030.

The scheme would also contribute around a fifth of the renewable energy generation needed for Oxfordshire to meet its net zero targets.

 

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