PLANS to extend the use of a solar far near Oxford have been thwarted by South Oxfordshire District Council.
The planning authority rejected an application from Enso Green Holdings Limited, a joint venture between Enso Energy and the Green Investment Group, for a five-year-extension of Nuneham Courtenay Solar Farm on top of the 35 years already approved.
The solar farm and battery storage facility to the south west of Cowley Substation was first given planning permission in December last year to help generate power for 13,000 homes.
READ MORE: Driver travelling wrong way on M40 said she was having 'a panic attack'
However, the planning authority found that the 139-hectare solar farm be “harmful to the green belt” and therefore be contrary to the council’s core policy that “whilst renewable energy developments were welcomed, they would not be permitted where the green belt would be significantly harmed”.
The extension was rejected unanimously.
Helen Marshall, of Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Oxford, said: “This is good news, albeit the original permission remains, and the site will exist for 35 years.
“We will keep fighting to ensure that solar farms and other development is kept to the right places and not sites in the Oxford Green Belt.
“CPRE Oxfordshire continues to call for a county-wide strategy to plan renewable energy sites”.
READ MORE: Woman left with anxiety after biting into 'raw' McDonalds burger
Ms Marshall added that CPRE itself welcomes renewable energy and agrees sites need to be established somewhere but not everywhere.
-
Read more from this author
This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.
Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland
A message from our Editor
Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.
If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more.
You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile.
If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel