The petition of residents of Witney and West Oxfordshire,
Declares that the large scale solar farm application known as “Botley West Solar Farm” is detrimental to the local community, notes that its scale and design are incompatible with the current infrastructure of the area; further declares that preservation of farmland for food security, local amenity, rural character and green belt preservation must take precedence when considering solar farm applications.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to reject the application when it is presented and immediately update the National Planning Policy Framework to give clearer, stricter guidance on the appropriate location, scale and design of solar farm including the definition to be used when sites are declared to be “temporary”, furthermore that this updated guidance give weight to factors such as the preservation of farmland for food security, local amenity, overall scale and impact upon the local community, rural character and green belt preservation.—[Presented by Robert Courts, Official Report, 24 October 2023; Vol. 738, c. 804.]
[P002866]
Observations from the Energy Security and Net Zero (Lord Callanan):
The proposed Botley West solar farm is currently in the pre-application stage of the planning process set out under the Planning Act 2008. This stage of the planning process, including the consultation process, is developer-led. The Planning Inspectorate’s project page for the proposal states that the application is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in quarter 4 of 2023.
Once the pre-application stage is completed and the application is officially received by the Planning Inspectorate, it has 28 days to review the application and to decide whether or not to accept it for examination. It is important to note that when deciding if an application should be accepted for examination, the Planning Inspectorate considers whether an applicant has complied with the pre-application procedure. The adequacy of an applicant’s pre-application consultation has a significant bearing on whether an application is considered to be of a satisfactory standard to be accepted for examination. It is also important to note that the panel of inspectors that will conduct the examination of the proposal, should the application be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate as planned, are appointed by the Planning Inspectorate, without involvement from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The Department understands that the developer intends to undertake a second phase of community consultation in autumn 2023. We would encourage the petitioners to engage with that consultation process and to utilise it as an opportunity to raise concerns.
Should the application be successfully accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate once submitted, we would encourage the petitioners to register as an interested party and to engage with the examination process.
Given the role of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in determining applications for development consent, to avoid prejudicing the decision-making process the Department cannot comment on specific concerns regarding a proposed infrastructure project. However, the petitioners should be assured that in taking the decision, the Secretary of State will follow the relevant requirements in the Planning Act 2008 and have regard to a wide range of matters relevant to her decision.
With regards to updating the National Planning Policy Framework, we would encourage the petitioners to share their views with the Department for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, as that is the Department responsible for the NPPF.