The countryside view that Sir Winston Churchill cherished could be destroyed if Labour gives the green light to the UK’s largest solar panel farm surrounding Blenheim Palace, as it is expected to.
The Duke of Marlborough’s half-brother Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill, who runs Blenheim Estate, has agreed to lease 2,000 acres of his land to a German company that will cover the land with two million solar panels – with 75 per cent being on the green belt.
Locals have branded the plans an outrage and suggested the name Botley West Solar Farm was chosen to distance Unesco world heritage site and national treasure Blenheim Palace from the vast project.
Large swathes of Oxfordshire would be covered in eyesore navy-coloured solar panels if the plans, which were submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on Friday, are approved.
More than 11,000 homes across 15 villages within a mile of the panels will be affected, with the panels visible from most of the land in the 60 square miles surrounding the massive solar farm.
Homeowners in one of the most affected villages, Church Hanborough, revealed how they were overcome with ‘grief’, ‘horror’ and ‘absolute disbelief’ when they were first told about plans for the ginormous solar park just before Christmas in 2022 and said Churchill would be ‘turning in his grave’.
Now, two years later, they are ebbing closer to a time that the nationally beloved land surrounding Blenheim Palace, Churchill’s ancestral home, will be covered in a sea of ugly dark solar panels, banishing huge chunks of green from the pleasant English countryside.
Former Church Hanborough parish councillor Penelope Marcus, 50, told MailOnline: ‘It’s going to absolutely destroy this ancient agricultural landscape.
The Unesco world heritage site of Blenheim Palace is set to be surrounded by Britain’s largest solar panel park
Left: The view from Purwell Farm over the Evenlode valley towards Church Hanborough. Right: An artist’s impression of the view once the solar farm is built
The area in red denotes where solar panels will be placed on the massive solar project
Sir Winston Churchill’s ancestral home is Blenheim Palace and he is said to have cherished views in the area. Locals said the plans would make him ‘turn in his grave’. His grave will be just 200m from panels under the plan
Homeowners in the village of Church Hanborough standing in a field set to be covered by solar panels
The yellow sections are areas from which solar panels will be visible under the plan – a swathe of land approximately 60 square miles to the north and west of Oxford
‘It’s just outside the Unesco world heritage site. Who’s going to come? It’s going to be surrounded by panels for the next 40 years.
‘Blenheim is going to really suffer in terms of visitors. The two world heritage sites nearest to London for a day’s trip are this one and Canterbury.
‘What would you see? Blenheim bathed in a lake of solar panels. This is crazy.
‘I think it would affect tourism enormously. There will be so many trucks working but then coming along the road what do you see?
‘This is the setting for this village. This is where we live. We are a very close community.
‘The countryside is part of what makes England and that’s so important. England consists of landscape but this is shared by all of us.
‘The countryside is ours. We’re losing national land and national views.’
Another local said: ‘There are beautiful views that we want to keep. You’ll see from one horizon to the other, they’ll be covered in these bl***y panels, millions of the sodding things.’
Their neighbour Karin Brown lives next to a field that would be covered in solar panels under the plans.
At the moment, she has stunning views to the horizon of the rolling English countryside.
But that could all be ruined, she said.
Karin told MailOnline: ‘I live just over there. Every room has beautiful views.
‘Can you imagine looking out and it’s just all black?’
MailOnline approached Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to comment on the plans but he would not do so.
It is understood this was because his department believes it would not be appropriate for him to comment on specific matters related to the proposal in case it could be seen as prejudicing the decision-making process for the application, which he has a quasi-judicial role in.
People living in the area said they loved walking in the countryside through open fields and meadows
Looking south from the village of Church Hanborough, this is what could become of the view
Blenheim Palace draws 750,000 tourists a year to walk its grounds and visit the grand country estate
Locals fear their beloved fields could be overrun with solar panels, as an artist’s impression shows here
Blenheim Estate is set to make £128million from leasing their land to German company Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP), which has created UK company SolarFive Ltd specially for the project
There will be three sites, with 2,000 acres covered in solar panels, PVDP said
Labour has said it plans to ensure the UK is powered by non-fossil fuel power by 2030, which would mean a need for large scale renewable projects.
If the Blenheim Palace plan goes ahead, protesters said children being born now will be middle-aged before they see the green fields surrounding their homes.
Meanwhile, Blenheim Estate is set to make £128million from leasing their land to German company Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP), which has created UK company SolarFive Ltd specially for the project.
At the moment Blenheim are said to make £150 per acre per year from its land. PVDP said the going rate for leasing land for solar panels is £1,000 per acre, a 567 per cent increase.
Rosemary Lewis, 76, is a former maths and IT schoolteacher and one of the founders of the group.
She told MailOnline: ‘There’s also over two million piles going into the ground and 156 power converters, which are the size of container lorries, 69 miles of fencing, security lighting.
‘Ed Miliband says zero [carbon debt] by 2030. This is no way going to be zero in its own right by 2030.
‘The first thing people mention is the size – it’s the equivalent of Heathrow Airport.
The nationally beloved land surrounding Blenheim Palace, Churchill’s ancestral home, could soon be covered in a sea of ugly dark solar panels
Pictured: British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill with the Sultan of Kelantan, Malaysia, at a garden party at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 20, 1953
Pictured: Sir Winston Churchill’s grave at St Martin’s Parish Church, Bladon in Oxfordshire
His grave will lie just 200m from a solar panel under the plans being proposed
This week, the Duke of Marlborough smiled next to a sculpture of Sir Winston installed to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth
‘It’s not decided locally because it’s nationally significant.
‘They threw it at us just before Christmas. They were quite an emotional thing, these consultations. People were coming out in tears.
‘Our mental health has already been affected by this. It’s caused a lot of anxiety even at this stage.
‘We met a young couple not long ago who said, ”We are looking to move out of Oxford but everywhere we’ve looked is getting solar panels, so we’re thinking should we do it, should we not?”
‘The effect on house prices will be quite serious. I know at least three people who can’t sell because of the solar panels.’
She added: ‘Historically, contradictorily-sounding, this is probably one of the most densely populated rural areas, certainly in Oxfordshire and possibly in the country because of this river valley and the access to water.
‘The reason we’ve got so much housing is that they can’t build on the green belt. So they’re putting solar panels there instead.’
Calum Miller is the Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock.
He said: ‘Like many residents, I support the transition to renewable energy but I cannot support the current Botley West proposal.
‘The developers of Botley West have not engaged meaningfully with local communities. Had they done so, they would have heard many concerns including the sheer scale of the proposal, the impact on the World Heritage site at Blenheim Palace, and the derisory level of community benefit that has been proposed.
‘Rather than riding roughshod over these concerns, I am pressing the developers to engage more meaningfully with residents to ensure that local voices are heard.’
The solar farm’s project director Mark Owen Lloyd, from German company PVDP, admitted there will be panels as close as 200m away from Churchill’s grave, although he maintained you wouldn’t be able to see them from his resting place itself.
He told MailOnline: ‘There’s a visual impact issue. With most of the fields, you will look from the road and you will see panels.
‘You are going to see them. There’s nothing we can do about that.
‘You look at those fields and say, ”That’s England, how it’s always been and that’s perfect,” and it won’t look like that with solar panels.
‘You can’t get away from the visual impact.
‘Try and think long term. It’s not as bad as you think. It’s quite possible that you will not realise we are there, until you walk across a footpath.
‘Think of the next generation. It requires a leap of imagination.’
Pictured: Protesters Tessa Hammond (left) and Rosemary Lewis (centre) with Jean Glendinning. The villagers told MailOnline of their anguish at the plans
Retired project manager Steve Jenkins (centre) said he was most worried about ancient woodlands in the area
Penelope Marcus, 50, (pictured) said the plans to cover 2,000 acres of Blenheim Palace land with solar panels was ‘crazy’
He acknowledged there was a ‘dedicated opposition’ to the plans and said that after a recent statutory consultation that 1,000 people attended, 800 sent letters opposing the plans and the remaining 200 did not show support either way.
However, he said planting hedges and strips of wildflowers between the panels and people’s homes and surrounding roads would limit exposure.
He added: ‘It’s possible to break up these views. What we don’t want people to see is a sea of panels.
‘Each field will have sheep in it. The panels will be surrounded by sheep.
‘There are footpaths that will be impacted. There are places we are opening up which have no panels on them.’
The project director, who is one of three working on the plans, revealed by the end of the application process, his company will have spent £12million already.
However, his sights are now set on the Planning Inspectorate’s decision and the journey from there.
He said: ‘In 18 months’ time, [the application] will be on the Secretary of State’s [Ed Miliband’s] desk and he will say yes or no.’
Speaking about the price of solar electricity, which is tied to the international price of gas, he added: ‘I think gas [prices] will go up 200 per cent in the next few years so that price [of solar electricity] will go up.
‘We don’t have any fear of a collapse in price.’
Despite his reassurances, many villagers remain sceptical of the project.
Steve Jenkins, a retired project manager, said he was most worried about what would happen to the area’s ancient woodland, some of which is 500 years old.
He said work to install cables to take energy from the panels to the national grid will destroy water meadows and cut through the roots of trees that are ‘half a millenia old’.
Steve, who said he lived in the area because he enjoyed ‘open fields’ and ‘the countryside’, added: ‘They’re trying to sell the fact they’re trying to extend a few footpaths, so we can enjoy acres and acres of solar panels.
‘The areas of woodland are the last remnants of Wychwood Forest and they need to be protected.
‘There are thousands of ancient trees. To go within metres of them will cause damage. It will destroy the roots.
‘Even the terms of ”pipe ramming” and ”hydraulic dynamic drilling” — you don’t need to be a genius to work out what it means.’
Fellow Church Hanborough homeowner and retired picture researcher Tessa Hammond said: ‘It’s a few people who stand to gain. It’s not the Palace, it’s not the Duke. It’s the managers of Blenheim Estate.
‘It would be okay if they made this one field into a solar farm and we were benefiting. It’s the size and the fact it’s all for profit.
The climate activist added: ‘I love the bees, the wildlife. The trees. We look out of our windows and we see deer and foxes and all sort of wildlife.
‘They big up green space being good for mental health but I don’t think it’s going to improve walking through solar panels.’
John Orme lives in nearby Woodstock. He told MailOnline: ‘We’ve been trying to get Blenheim to look at alternative sites for solar panels. Small community solar farms is what we really want.
‘There’s one in Charlbury, which is just north of here, and they actually get a return for that.
‘This vast thing is going to destroy legacy and heritage.
‘Another concern is about endangering productive, arable land. A lot of the people who live here have chosen to because of the nature of the countryside.’
Yet despite locals’ concerns, the plans have now been submitted to the national Planning Inspectorate.
If approved, it could be a flagship solar farm for Labour in their quest to build on the green belt and secure clean power by 2030.
Villagers in Church Hanborough aren’t giving up yet but as one admitted, their primary technique has become delaying the project as much as possible in the hope it will scupper it altogether.
If that doesn’t happen, England’s green and pleasant land could soon be strewn not with dark Satanic mills but miles of solar panels stretching as far as the eye can see.
One local told MailOnline: ‘There are beautiful views that we want to keep. You’ll see from one horizon to the other, they’ll be covered in these bl***y panels, millions of the sodding things’
Pictured: The solar farm’s project director Mark Owen Lloyd, from German company PVDP
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokeswoman said: ‘Our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the way to bring greater energy independence to Britain.
‘Solar power is a crucial homegrown source of cleaner, cheaper energy, with every solar panel helping protect families from future energy shocks.
‘It is important we take people with us and are considering ways to ensure communities who live near clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this.’
Unesco said: ‘The World Heritage Centre is aware of the planned solar farm near the Blenheim Palace World Heritage Site and is in contact with the State Party to avoid any negative impact on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), which refers to the elements that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
‘Before a World Heritage property can be deleted from the UNESCO World Heritage List, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the World Heritage Committee – the governing body of the Convention made up of 21 Member States – follow established procedures.
‘These procedures include placing the property under Reactive Monitoring if it is threatened by factors that may adversely affect its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV.
‘The UNESCO World Heritage Centre reports to the World Heritage Committee every one to two years on the state of conservation of properties under Reactive Monitoring, i.e. those facing the most critical issues.
‘If threats persist to the property despite Reactive Monitoring, the World Heritage Committee may also consider inscribing properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
‘Blenheim Palace has never been under Reactive Monitoring since its inscription in 1987.
‘It was never considered at this stage to delete the Blenheim Palace World Heritage Site from the World Heritage List.’
Legal representatives for PVDP said: ‘Whilst there is an organised opposition to the proposed in the form of Stop Botley West, it is not accurate to suggest this represents outrage directed towards the project felt by the wider local community.
‘As has already been made known to local communities, a community benefit fund will be established that will provide an initial £200,000 of funding per year to local projects.
‘We are also considering the creation of a retail power company offering discounted, clean energy to surrounding communities.
‘The project will contribute to local business rates, create employment, develop skills through apprenticeship schemes and deliver investment in excess of £800million to Oxfordshire.
‘SolarFive is a UK company that will pay corporate tax on all profits in the UK, will pay local business rates, will create UK-based jobs and give back to local communities.
Enormous care has been taken to protect views and our proposals have gone to significant lengths to minimise the visual impact of the project, following the conducting of a Landscape and Visual Impairment Assessment.
‘We anticipate a 70 per cent increase in biodiversity as a result of the scheme whilst investment in new foot and cycle paths will open areas previously inaccessible to the public.
‘We are not aware of any evidence that suggests there is any fall in house prices as a result of solar farms. At no point have we been presented with any evidence to suggest that people have been struggling to sell their homes as a result of the proposed development.
‘No trees or meadows be damaged in the construction and operation of Botley West.
‘The location of Churchill’s grave is surrounded by a walled churchyard, houses and woodland. The development will have no impact on his final resting site and no panels will be visible from that site. During our lengthy public consultation process there were no concerns submitted regarding the proximity of panel’s to his gravesite.
‘We cannot judge (no more than local campaigners) how Churchill would have responded but perhaps, as a great leader who led the nation in a time of huge challenge, he might have felt that a response to the global catastrophe that is climate change would warrant bold and definitive action.’
Regarding the claim that development will affect tourism for both Blenheim Palace and the surrounding area, they said: ‘There is no evidence for it.’
They added: ‘There is no ”dodgy Russian money” funding the project.
‘PVDP established SolarFive Ltd, a UK limited company, as a special purpose vehicle for the development of Botley West. SolarFive Ltd holds the connection agreement with the National Grid and is licensed by Ofgem as an electricity generator. The funds for Botley West are entirely generated from the material returns generated from the sale of six successful international projects, originating from seed funding by Peter Gerstmann and Yulia Lezhen. PVDP has received funds from no other source, as can be seen from financial statements audited by EY on all group company accounts.’
A Planning Inspectorate spokesman said: ‘The Botley West Solar Farm application is expected to be submitted by November 8 2024.
‘When we receive the application, we have 28 days to decide whether to accept it for examination.
‘If we accept the application, interested parties will be able to register to have their say and view all the application documents.
‘At the end of an NSIP examination, a recommendation report is prepared for the relevant Secretary of State who will then make the decision on whether or not to grant a Development Consent Order.’
Oxfordshire County Council said: ‘We are not the decision maker on this scheme. ‘Solar production of renewable energy at scale will be a critical to achieving zero-carbon electricity and associated UK energy security. However, we are disappointed at this stage by the level of impact mitigation and woefully inadequate community benefit being proposed by the developer.’
Blenheim Palace, Blenheim Estate, the Duke of Marlborough, Lord Edward Spencer-Churchill and West Oxfordshire District Council did not respond to requests for comment.