Botley West Solar Farm Refused: Vale Leader Is 'Relieved'

The government has refused the Botley West solar farm, the 840 megawatt scheme planned for farmland west of Oxford, part of which fell inside the Vale of White Horse. The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero refused development consent on Tuesday 10 November, and Vale of White Horse District Council has welcomed the decision.

Council leader Cllr Bethia Thomas said the refusal shows that big national schemes “must work for the local area”, and she used it to point residents towards the next one: Thames Water’s application for the reservoir south west of Abingdon, which she said goes to the government next week.

What was refused

The decision letter describes ground-mounted solar panels with a capacity of 840MW, split over northern, central and southern areas in West Oxfordshire, Cherwell and the Vale. Land was also reserved for a new National Grid substation, if needed, near the company’s preferred site south of Farmoor Reservoir.

The application was made in November 2024 by Photovolt Development Partners on behalf of SolarFive Ltd. Four planning inspectors examined it between May and November 2025 and recommended that it be refused. The decision was delayed twice before this week.

The Secretary of State agreed. The letter sums up the main reasons as:

• substantial harm to the Green Belt. All of the southern area (81 hectares) and most of the central area (870 hectares) sit in the Oxfordshire Green Belt;
• harm to heritage, including the setting of the Blenheim Palace World Heritage Site;
• significant harm to the landscape and views;
• risks to aviation safety at London Oxford Airport, which the letter calls “an unacceptable risk to public safety”;
• problems with how the developer assessed and planned to restore the best farmland.

The letter records 1,115 representations on the application. It also notes the concerns of Cumnor Parish Council, which had asked for accurate baseline information on homes’ views, bats, skylarks and flood risk.

A refusal can be challenged only by judicial review in the Planning Court, and a claim has to be made within six weeks of the day after the decision, according to the letter.

‘Relieved to see this project has been considered on its merits’

Cllr Thomas said: “We welcome the Secretary of State’s decision this week to refuse the Botley West solar farm application.

“We are clear advocates of renewable power and solar power generation, as shown by our own decarbonisation programme across our leisure centres, but this type of development must work for the local area and be delivered in the right way. We are supportive of national priorities where they are appropriate and with a mind to prioritising our communities first and foremost.

“I am relieved to see this project has been considered on its merits and that the national planning process is robust. The application failed because it has not been thought through properly. I am also heartened to note its approval has not been inevitable purely on its Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project status. Clearly in this instance, the development was inappropriate and poorly planned, and the decision reflects this.”

She added: “This sends a clear message to developers that they can’t just turn up on our doorstep and consider it a done deal if they fall under an NSIP category, without due consideration to the impacts on the community, local heritage, rural character and landscape.”

Next: the reservoir, then Cearn

Projects of this size are Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. They are decided by the government, not by the district council, which can only give its views during the process.

Cllr Thomas said: “I would encourage everyone to engage with the planning process going forwards for all of these national level schemes. Thames Water’s reservoir application is submitted to government next week. If it is accepted for examination, we enter a complex pre-examination stage where it is important for the district council, alongside everyone else, to put our view across and make sure local voices are heard.

“A great deal of our officer and member time is already focussed on doing everything in our power to influence and scrutinise these projects to ensure the core issues are addressed up to and after the decisions are made. We want to ensure we secure the best possible outcome for all the communities that are impacted.”

The reservoir, now called White Horse Reservoir, would sit west of the A34 between Marcham, Drayton, Steventon, East Hanney and Grove. Thames Water’s latest construction plans put 60 lorry movements an hour on the A415 at peak (our September report).

The other big scheme is Cearn Solar Farm, about 2,800 acres across three areas between Garford, Charney Bassett, West Hanney, Goosey and Baulking. Councillors discussed it at full council last month, and the council says Cllr Thomas is set to write to the government with its concerns. At that size it would be one of the larger solar farm proposals in the UK.

The council keeps its information on all of these schemes, including East West Rail and the Thames to Southern Transfer, on one NSIPs hub page. The Botley West decision papers, including the inspectors’ report, are on the council’s Botley West page and the Planning Inspectorate’s project page.