Campaigners join national walk against solar farms

Campaigners against plans to build one of Europe's largest solar farms have joined a nationwide community walk to protest against the potential impact of the proposals.

Botley West Solar Farm could cover about 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of countryside at three sites in west Oxfordshire if approved.

Developers Photo Vault Development Partners (PVDP) say large-scale solar energy is crucial to meet the UK's climate targets, with the site capable of producing enough to power the equivalent of 330,000 homes.

But those opposed to the scheme say the plans are "not necessary" and not "in the interests of the local community".

Rosemary Lewis, who is part of the Stop Botley West campaign, told the BBC during the walk that solar energy "isn't the best solution for this country".

"It [the proposal] makes me feel very sad - not just for our generation, but for future generations because solar [power] has almost begun to have its day," she said.

She added that the proposal had "not really been thought out carefully enough" by PVDP, as within the next 40 years solar power would be "obsolete technology".

A fellow campaigner on the walk said: "Most of the land that those panels will be covering is good agricultural land, and its just not right - we need solar panels on roofs of new houses, not on the fields."

"There's a right place for these sorts of things, and a right size - and this [proposal] just isn't it," another added.

The £800m farm would see panels installed in countryside north of Woodstock, west of Kidlington and west of Botley.

Having been designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the proposals are currently being evaluated by the government.

PVDP director Mark Owen-Lloyd previously told the BBC: "We are confident this project will make a significant contribution towards the UK's ambitious solar generation targets."

Addressing concerns around the site's scale and visibility, Mr Owen-Lloyd previously said the solar farm would be hidden in fields and behind hedges, and that people "would not notice it is there".

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