© Supplied by Octopus Energy 
The UK’s largest proposed solar farm, Botley West, has doubled the size of its community fund in a bid to appease local residents.
German developer Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) pledged to more than double the size of the community benefit fund to £440,000 a year, up from £200,000.
It estimates that this will provide the equivalent of £16.5 million in funding for the local community across the 37.5-year lifespan of the solar project – an 840 MW development on the Blenheim Palace estate in Oxfordshire, which is expected to cost £800m.
While community funds are not a statutory requirement for renewable energy or infrastructure projects, many developers choose to provide them voluntarily to engage local communities.
Photovolt said it made the decision to increase the size of the proposed fund following discussions and consultations with local communities, charities and Oxfordshire County Council.
That funding, which the developer said is expected to be launched “early in the project lifecycle”, is expected to provide financial support to local initiatives across Oxfordshire.
Local sustainability
The developer asked local residents and community leaders to submit ideas as to how that funding would be used in April.
Proposals included upgrading community facilities, developing youth and skills programmes, and supporting local sustainability and food-growing initiatives.
The developer has also agreed to scale down the size of the proposed development by removing solar panels from up to 10 hectares of the project site, to protect land needed for emergency aircraft landings from Oxford airport.
Photovolt is also in discussions to establish a retail power company that would provide discounted energy bills to local communities, it said in a statement.
Botley West Solar Farm director Mark Owen-Lloyd said: “We have listened carefully to what local people and stakeholders have told us about the fund throughout this process. As a direct result of that feedback, we have increased the value of the community benefit fund by nearly tenfold since this project began.
“These changes reflect our commitment to working in partnership and cooperation with the communities around Botley West and ensuring the project delivers real, lasting benefits where they are most needed.”
© Supplied by PVPDAccording to developers, the solar project will provide a 70% increase in biodiversity, far more than is typically required by infrastructure projects.
Six local authorities in Oxfordshire have declared a climate emergency, and Botley West is expected to contribute to the county’s net-zero drive.
The planning inspectorate has accepted the project application and confirmed that documentation “meets prescribed standards” under the Planning Act 2008, Photovolt said.
The inspectorate began its inspection on 13 May, within three days of hearings held in Oxford to allow residents to express their views.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband will be responsible for the final planning decision, as is the case for all solar farms over 50 MW that are deemed ‘nationally significant’, based on the inspectors’ recommendations. That process is expected to last for six months, with a final decision on the project due in spring 2026.
Labour has pledged to treble solar capacity in the UK to 40 GW by 2030 and 70 GW by 2035.
