Refusal to send UK Government letter over Oxfordshire solar farm

Over a hundred protesters gathered outside the council’s offices in Witney to call out a project they labelled as “deeply painful and divisive”.

However, leader of the council Andy Graham refused to give support to councillor Lysette Nicholls’ request that he sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Business to oppose the solar farm on Blenheim Palace and Merton College land.

After Mr Graham refused to endorse the motion in the debate, the council chose not to support the original motion put forward by councillor Nicholls.

They instead chose to vote for councillor Carl Rylett's amendment which called for an "impact statement" to be produced. 

READ MORE: A 'hundred' Botley West Solar Farm protesters to gather

Protesters had earlier called on the council to convey their concerns to the Secretary of State for Business and warned their demonstration was a sign “they were not going to be pushed around by people”.

Photovolt Development Partners, the developer, has highlighted the solar panels could generate power for up to 330,000 homes and deliver 840MW of green energy to the National Grid.

Speaking at the council’s meeting, Mr Graham refused to heed Conservative councillors’ calls to send a letter to the government because he wanted a “robust process” to take place and believed the “credibility of evidence” was lacking.

He added: “At this stage, we cannot object. Because all your work and all the things we passionately believe in will be lost."

The council discussing the solar farm (Image: Ed Halford)

Whether the scheme goes ahead will be decided by the UK Government, via the planning inspectorate, and not by the council.

READ MORE: Oxford butchers criticise council's 'kneejerk reaction' to meat

Outside the council’s offices, Samuel Landau, a clinical psychologist from Wootton, said it was “important to communicate to the council this is not supported by local residents”.

He explained: “We have all decided to live here because we like this area of the world, and it feels like it is at risk of being taken away from us.

"This is something which is deeply painful and divisive and is not going to make our homes a lovely place to live.”

Sign up to Ed Halford's free weekly Politics newsletter here (Image: Newsquest)

Before Mr Graham decided not to send a letter to the UK Government, protesters were quietly confident their fears about the project would be listened to.

READ MORE: Oxford City Council approves vegan food only policy

Charles Simpkins, a householder from Long Hanborough, said he hoped the council would take his “concerns to the government” as the farm would “take up too much farm land which should be used to grow crops”.

Conservative councillor Alaa Al-Yousuf expressed his dismay that the leader of the council was refusing to send a letter and warned councillors should not be “gagged on representing our residents”.

Mr Al-Yousuf said: “We are expressing concerns widely shared and let's be honest about that.”

Another protester, Lisa Johnstone from Bladon, said “more transparency” was needed and she said the protest was a sign to the council and government that “we are not going to be pushed around by people”.

Protestor Lisa Johnstone (Image: Ed Halford)

Reacting to Mr Graham’s refusal to represent concerns about the project to the Secretary of State, Conservative councillor Liam Walker said: “All that was asked of the council today was to send a clear letter that the council was united in their objection to Botley West Solar Far.”

Mr Walker accused councillors of “sitting on the fence” and “failing to make a decision today”.

He added: “Liberal Democrat councillors were speaking against the solar farm but then didn’t support the motion which would have sent the letter objecting to the solar farm so it is very counterproductive.”