UK Blocks 840 MW Botley West Solar Farm Over Heritage and Safety Concerns

Britain’s government has refused planning consent for one of the country’s largest proposed solar projects, citing an array of environmental, heritage and aviation concerns that it concluded outweighed the scheme’s energy benefits.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh rejected Photovolt Development Partners’ application for a Development Consent Order for the Botley West solar farm in Oxfordshire, acting on a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate. The decision found that the project’s adverse effects outweigh its benefits as a whole.

The refusal rested on several grounds:

• Substantial harm to the Green Belt
• Damage to a number of designated cultural heritage assets, with Blenheim Palace — a UNESCO World Heritage Site described in the decision as being of “highest significance” — receiving particular attention
• Significant negative consequences for landscape and visual character
• Residual aviation safety impacts deemed an unacceptable risk to public safety
• Concerns about PVDP’s handling of the assessment and restoration of best and most versatile agricultural land within the scheme’s footprint

The industry body Solar Energy UK said it was surprised and disappointed by the outcome. Chief executive Chris Hewitt called the decision unfortunate, arguing that solar farms are precisely the tool needed to displace expensive gas from the grid and deliver cheaper electricity to consumers. He added that the economies of scale achieved by large-scale projects such as Botley West are what make them the lowest-cost source of power.

Source: reNews