Locals' fury over plans to build huge solar farm on idyllic countryside made famous by The Vicar of Dibley

Daily Mail​

21 hours ago

Plans to build an industrial-sized solar farm on countryside made famous by The Vicar of Dibley have sparked fury among locals, who claim it will ruin the 'quintessentially English view'.
The row centres on a 97-hectre solar project which is planned for fields in Oxfordshire that feature in the opening credits of the iconic 1990s BBC sitcom starring Dawn French.
The landscape, made up of patchwork fields, farmland and small villages, is also loved by the thousands of commuters who travel up and down the M40 to London.
The proposed site is located next to Postcombe, near Thame - a village made up of just 120 houses, a garage and a pub - and can be seen from the motorway.
Locals have described the potential impact of the solar farm, which would consist of large panels mounted nearly 10ft off the ground, as 'devastating' and 'frightening'.
They have also raised concerns that the Labour government's drive towards Net Zero emissions will mean the plans are pushed through regardless of their objections.
There are currently several plans for large solar farms in the pipeline for approval across the UK.
These include the enormous £800million Botley West project in Oxfordshire, which is set to spread across the Blenheim Estate where Sir Winston Churchill was born.
Local Bob Massie, who lives in Postcombe and used to work in video production, said the plans for the solar farm are 'frightening'.
He told the Daily Mail: 'It is a fantastic view. It is one of only 12 such views protected in the country nationally.
'The solar farm would be just be truly devastating. It's quite frightening, really.
'Ultimately the view is so beautiful that Richard Curtis chose it as the opening title to The Vicar of Dibley.
'He chose that view because it was quintessentially English, and it was. It was showing a quintessentially English view with fields and villages.'
He added: 'I see this view as like the Sycamore Gap tree. I would say this is another national treasure and once it has gone, it has gone forever.
'There is no getting it back.'
Mr Massie also raised concerns about the type of solar panels that would be used for the site.
He said: 'These are not just the sort of solar panels that you might put on your roof. They are enormous. The whole site is enormous.
'People think of solar panels as being the things that you put on on domestic roofs. These are whacking great industrial solar panels, and it is a vast area.'
The plans for the solar farm have been developed by private company Solar2 and are currently being considered by South Oxfordshire District Council.
Locals have until the end of the month to lodge their objections - but some fear the plans will be pushed through anyway.
Postcombe resident and parish councillor John Poole said: 'We're trying to raise the awareness within the villages and encourage people to have their say on the planning portal.
'We think it is unlikely that South Oxfordshire District Council will support the application because of the national landscape and the protections in place.
'However, it is approved and it goes to appeal it could be down to Ed Miliband saying oh well we have a climate emergency and we need Net Zero.'
Mr Massie also raised concerns about whether the application would be pushed through.
He said: 'This is not just any view. It is a recognised area of outstanding natural beauty. It's also protected locally by the planning plans and policies.
'I think maybe in the late eighties or something they tried to put a service station in that same sort of area.
'That was thrown out because it was going to spoil the view. There's lots of protections on it.
'I'm hoping that with all these policies protecting it, that will ultimately prevail but you never know with these things.
'Planning regulations under the new the Labour government are apparently going to be simplified and perhaps development that wasn't going to be allowed will be.'
Locals have also raised concerns that plans for the site include temporarily blocking a funeral path used to transport coffins from Postcombe to the nearby village of Lewknor.
Footpaths in the area close to the proposed site are also used and loved by families and dog walkers.
Mr Poole said: 'The solar farm is going to be in fields that have the local footpath that connects Postcombe to Lewknor.
'It's used by a lot of villagers to go between the villages and is a place where people walk their dogs.
'So from our point of view it does impact our daily lives. It's our views, it's our walks.
'When you look over the fields and towards the village all you are going to see is glaring solar panels.'
He explained that people in Postcombe are not against renewable energy but are simply opposed to the location of the proposed solar farm.
Mr Poole said: 'Practically all the villages here are against the solar farm being built but we are not against renewable energy.
'People in the villages have solar panels on their houses, or they've got electric cars, or both.
'And as a parish, we're just putting solar panels onto our village hall.
'What we don't want is a solar farm thrown upon us that's generating electricity, which is going to be sent to the National Grid or somewhere that doesn't benefit us.'