Oxfordshire groups are asking for a vast increase in the amount of funding offered to local communities if a solar farm project gets the green light.

They are demanding £3 million a year from the developers of the proposed Botley West Solar Farm instead of the current offer of £50,000.

Group representatives have written to developers and their local council to express dissatisfaction with the proposed figure.

They compare the £50,000 offer to other large renewable energy projects, especially in Scotland, that pay communities up to £5000 per installed Megawatt of power.

For Botley West, a solar farm producing 840 Megawatts, the pay-out at that rate would be £4.2 million a year for 40 years.

They are settling for £3 million which is 60 times the proposed sum, but equates to less than £10 per household per year.

Their appeal is based on the project's scale which will power 330,000 homes - equivalent to the whole county.

The collected amount would be managed by an independent foundation.

Chris Church, of Oxford Friends of the Earth, said: "Projects of this size are a new challenge for us all and a decision will need to be made with great care.

"But if it happens, then the community benefit must be fair and realistic.

"The current offer is for £50,000 a year. This is totally inadequate. If this project was to go ahead it will be generating electricity and income for the next 40 years.

"We are simply calling for a fair chunk of the profits to go back to the local communities.

"This could be a transformative sum of money that could deliver real lasting benefits. if agreed Botley West should be a great example of what can be done. We are asking the developers to reconsider the current offer and make a more realistic offer.”

In correspondence addressed to the directors of PVDP, the Botley West Solar Farm's proposers, dated February 5, 2024, the groups outlined reasons for a considerable increase in Community Benefit Funding.

They referenced the impact on the green belt and the size of the project, the grade of the land, the adjacent UNESCO World Heritage Site, and effects on local green spaces as significant factors.

Botley West Solar Farm is planned for three sites - north of Woodstock, west of Kidlington and west of Botley.

If approved, it would be the largest ground mounted solar farm in the UK and the area of solar panels would be broadly equivalent to the size of Carterton and Brize Norton Air Base combined.

A spokesman for PVDP said: "We have received a large amount of feedback at our in-person events and through our feedback forms, all of which will be documented in our Consultation Report.

"It is important that our community benefits initiatives are viewed as a whole.

"As well as a fund, we are proposing to establish a retail electricity company to sell the output from Botley West Solar Farm to local residents at discounted rates, and we have also explored on-site benefits such as new footpaths and cycle paths, as well as areas for community food growing.  

"We note the large number of consultees who have requested an increase to the fund’s size – we are really grateful for the feedback that we have received in this area and is something that will be fully considered as the project moves forward. 

"Our statutory consultation closes this Thursday.

"We will consider all comments and suggestions received and produce our final design, which will be contained within our Environmental Statement."