Tell Blenheim TO Make Botley West SOLAR FARM Fair
Botley West is a proposed large-scale solar farm in Oxfordshire. If approved, it will be built mostly on Blenheim Estate land.
It will generate clean energy and significant profits for developers. Yet local people living nearby are being offered far too little.
Tell Blenheim Estate to use their influence to secure a better community benefit deal from the developers – one that reflects the project’s scale and supports local communities.
Sign the petition here 👇
Whether you welcome the project or have serious concerns about it, one thing is clear: if it goes ahead, local people deserve a fairer share of the benefits.
We’re asking for 2% of the project’s revenue to be invested directly in local communities. That would mean more energy efficiency, more climate action, and more support where it’s most needed.
That means:
- Energy efficiency support for homes, businesses and schools.
- Support for local facilities such as community buildings, transport links, and EV charging stations.
- Funding for community-led projects, e.g. tree planting, nature recovery, community garden projects.
- Practical support for those most affected by fuel poverty.
Botley West Solar will have a huge impact by producing low-carbon clean energy, transforming the local countryside and producing huge profits for the investors. With no legal requirement for these schemes for a community benefit fund yet in England, Sustainable Woodstock supports this petition for a fairer and more substantial community benefit fund.
Sustainable Woodstock
This isn’t about being for or against the solar farm. It’s about fairness, accountability, and making sure clean energy also delivers for local people.
The deal at Botley West could set the standard for every solar farm in the UK. Let’s get it right!
Sign the petition. Add your voice. Help secure a fairer deal for Oxfordshire.
Green TEA’s work with the Low Carbon Hub over many years has shown us the enormous benefits that can flow from community owned renewable installations. We were shocked to learn that there is no requirement for community benefit in England, even from such enormous and profitable schemes such as Botley West. We fully support this petition to ask for a fairer deal to the communities which would host this vital national infrastructure.
GreenTEA Community Group, Eynsham
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This isn’t just about one solar farm. If we get this right here, it could become a national model – showing how large-scale renewables can genuinely benefit the places they’re built in. We need to make Botley West solar farm fair.
Barbara Hammond, CEO, Low Carbon Hub
FAQs
Here’s some questions that have been raised by our friends in the community about our petition to make botley west solar farm fair. If your question doesn’t appear in the list, then feel free to email us at petition@lowcarbonhub.org, where we’ll be able to respond to you directly.
Why is the petition addressed to Blenheim?
As the main landowner, Blenheim Estate has the power to influence what kind of deal the community gets. We’re calling on them to use that power to secure something fairer.
That means standing up for the people who will live alongside this development – and demanding an outcome that reflects the scale of the project and delivers lasting benefits.
Why is the petition asking for 2% of revenue to be offered as funding for the community?
We’re asking for 2% of the project’s revenue to be invested directly into local communities because we feel this is a fair and realistic target for all parties. Having a percentage means a funding stream that grows with the project’s success – not a one-off figure that isn’t linked to the actual revenues of Botley West.
How much would 2% of revenue be?
Our very conservative figures show that in the first year 2% of revenue would create £840k in community benefit. This is four times more than what is currently being discussed between solar developers and government.
However, our understanding from the industry is that revenues of £100m per year are likely – 2% of which would create £2 million in community benefit. However, if managed well we think the actual revenue should be much higher than this.
Until the project is up and running, it’s very difficult to know what the revenue will be. Our proposed 2% of revenue model ensures communities receive a fair and proportionate benefit, one that is tied to the actual performance of the project – if that does well, then communities also benefit.
Why is Low Carbon Hub involved?
We’re not normally a campaigning organisation – but we feel that this is so important on a local (and national) level that we must take action.
We have over a decade of experience of delivering solar installations across Oxfordshire – with 100% of our project surplus being invested back into the community. This experience shows that renewables can benefit everyone, and we are passionate about ensuring the transition to a zero-carbon energy system is a fair one.
Will Low Carbon Hub benefit financially from more community funding from Botley West?
No, Low Carbon Hub will not benefit financially from an improved offer of community funding. Nor are we seeking to gain any percentage of community benefit funds ourselves.
However, as experts in delivery community benefit through our own renewable portfolio revenues, we could offer to administer the community benefit, at no fee or cost.
Is Low Carbon Hub for or against the Botley West project?
Low Carbon Hub has taken a neutral stance towards the Botley West proposal as a whole. Our aim has been to help local communities access further information relating to the potential impacts and benefits of the scheme to inform their own response to formal consultations. We have been acting entirely independently from the project.
I don’t live in Oxfordshire, why should I get involved?
There are more large-scale solar projects planned across the country. We want to help communities everywhere benefit from a better community benefit outcome. Getting this right here in Oxfordshire could help create a framework for what happens nationally. You can see the full list of large-scale projects and filter by solar here.
Who would decide how the community benefit gets used?
We think a board should be established, including representives from the community, to establish the best way to use the community benefit funds according to the needs of the community.
Aren’t the councils working on a community benefit negotiation?
West Oxfordshire District Council is supporting 15 parishes to get together and negotiate for a community benefit deal from the developers. We hope to complement their great work with this petition as we feel it’s important to ensure we are looking at all possible avenues to get a better deal for local communities.
How will Low Carbon Hub use my data?
We won’t use or share any of the data we collect in the petition unless this has been anonymised, or you give us your permission to share a quote supporting the petition. All of the data we collect will be stored in accordance with our privacy statement here.