CLIMATE change minister Greg Barker came to Oxford on Thursday to visit a number of the city’s low-carbon projects.

He visited a community solar panel project at the Cherwell School and then went to Hogacre Common Eco Park, off Abingdon Road.

Oxford North Community Renewables raised £150,000 from a share offer scheme to install 50kWp of solar panels on Cherwell School.

Hogacre Common Eco Park, which is 11 acres of land leased from Corpus Christi College, has been developed by residents and community groups into allotments with wind turbines and beehives.

Barbara Hammond, director of Low Carbon Oxford, said: “There’s so much going on in Oxford that it has been hard to select projects for the minister to visit. There are 60-plus active low carbon community groups in the county and 25 pathfinder organisations, all committed to dealing with climate change.”

The minister, who had been invited by Oxford West and Abingdon MP Nicola Blackwood, also met with Jochen Lorenzen, director of finance and production control at MINI Plant Oxford, and city councillor John Tanner, board member for cleaner, greener Oxford.

Mr Tanner said: “We are thrilled to have Greg Barker visiting Oxford. Low Carbon Oxford is leading the way to a flourishing and fair low carbon economy.”