WE’VE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST CAMPAIGN…
Here’s why it matters.
Low Carbon Hub isn’t a campaigning organisation. Except – we are, just this once. We’ve launched Make Botley West Solar Farm Fair, a petition calling for a much stronger community benefits package from the developers of the proposed Botley West Solar Farm in Oxfordshire.
We’re not campaigning for or against the project itself. We know there are a range of views locally – and we respect all of them. What unites us is the belief that, if the solar farm does go ahead, it must deliver meaningful, long-term benefits for the local communities.
Why? Because we believe the stakes are too high to stay silent – not just for communities here in Oxfordshire, but for others across the country facing similar large-scale solar proposals.
Getting it right at Botley West could help set a new standard for solar farms nationwide.
What is Botley West?
Botley West Solar Farm is a proposed large-scale solar farm stretching across three Oxfordshire districts. If approved, it would be a significant development that could shape the future of renewable energy in Oxfordshire.
What’s the issue?
The project would be built largely on land owned by the Blenheim Estate. It would generate clean electricity – and significant profits for the developers. But the current offer to local communities is far too small given the scale of the project.
We believe that if communities are expected to host this infrastructure, they should receive a fair share of the benefits.
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
What are we calling for?
We’re urging Blenheim Estate, as the project’s main landowner, to use its influence to secure a better deal for local communities. Specifically, we are asking that 2% of the project’s revenue to be directly invested into the communities.
This could fund a range of benefits for the community such as:
- 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.
Our campaign isn’t about being for or against the solar farm, it’s about making sure that if the project goes ahead, it does so with fairness, transparency and genuine benefits for those living nearby.
The bigger picture
What happens here could set the standard for other large-scale solar projects. Right now, there’s no legal requirement for developers to offer meaningful community benefit. But if we get this right, Botley West could become a blueprint – showing how clean energy can work for people and planet.
We’re calling on Blenheim Estate to lead by example.
Join us
Whether you support the solar farm, oppose it, or are undecided, we can all agree on this: communities deserve better.
I invite you to stand with us in advocating for a fairer deal. Please sign the petition and share it with your networks.
Together, we can make Botley West a model for how to do things right.