Agenda item
Motion A: Botley West Solar Farm - Proposed by Councillor Lysette Nicholls, Seconded by Councillor Michele Mead
Original Motion – Proposed by Councillor Lysette Nicholls, Seconded by Councillor Michele Mead.
This council fully supports the Government’s Net Zero target and restates the importance of ensuring that the UK generates more of its own energy at home.
Original Resolution –
Council Resolves to:
- Request that the Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Business & Trade, and all Oxfordshire MPs, informing them that West Oxfordshire District Council objects to the proposed Botley West Solar Farm on Blenheim Palace and Merton College land developed by ‘Photovolt’ Development Partners.
Amendment to Motion – Proposed by Councillor Carl Rylett, Seconded by Councillor Andy Goodwin.
[Words added in
italics, words removed in strikethrough
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This council fully supports the Government's Net Zero
target and restates recognises the importance
of ensuring that the UK generates
more of generating its own energy at
home carbon-neutral energy, and further recognises
that West Oxfordshire must play its part in this
process.
This Council recognises that many residents and local businesses, including farmers, and Parish Councils have expressed concerns with the proposed Botley West Solar farm on land owned by Blenheim and Merton College, and developed by ‘Photovolt’ Development Partners.
This Council notes and approves of the approach being taken by this council to respond to this proposed development, which will be determined by the relevant Secretary of State.
The Council will produce an Impact Statement, which will detail the effect of the solar farm on the environment, population and businesses in the area, and which will be based on robust and empirical evidence. It notes that an officer is dedicated full-time to this role, and further notes that the Council has hosted meetings with Parish Councils to support their response to the application.
Amendment to Resolution:
Council Resolves to:
1. Request that the Leader of the
Council writes to the Secretary of State for Business & Trade,
and all Oxfordshire MPs, informing them that West Oxfordshire
District Council objects to the proposed Botley West Solar Farm on Blenheim Palace and
Merton College land developed by Photovolt Development Partners. Give careful consideration to the Impact Assessment and decide
at that stage whether any further action should be
taken.
Full Amendment – Proposed by Councillor Carl Rylett, Seconded by Councillor Andy Goodwin.
This Council fully supports the Government’s Net Zero Target, and recognises the importance of the UK generating its own carbon-neutral energy, and further recognises that West Oxfordshire must play its part in this process.
This Council recognises that many residents and local businesses, including farmers, and Parish Councils have expressed concerns with the proposed Botley West Solar farm on land owned by Blenheim and Merton College, and developed by ‘Photovolt’ Development Partners.
This Council notes and approves of the approach being taken by this council to respond to this proposed development, which will be determined by the relevant Secretary of State.
The Council will produce an Impact Statement, which will detail the effect of the solar farm on the environment, population and businesses in the area, and which will be based on robust and empirical evidence. It notes that an officer is dedicated full-time to this role, and further notes that the Council has hosted meetings with Parish Councils to support their response to the application.
Council Resolves to:
- Give careful consideration to the Impact Assessment and decide at that stage whether any further action should be taken.
Minutes:
Councillor Lysette Nicholls introduced the motion, which detailed that the Council fully supports the Government’s Net Zero target and restates the importance of ensuring that the UK generates more of its own energy at home, whilst at the same time, would object to the Botley West Solar Farm development.
The motion requested that the Leader of the Council writes to the Secretary of State for Business & Trade, and all Members of Parliament in Oxfordshire, informing them that the Council objects to the proposed Botley West Solar Farm on Blenheim Palace and Merton College land developed by ‘Photovolt’ Development Partners.
In formally seconding the motion, Councillor Michele Mead stated the importance of listening to the public viewpoint on the matters being discussed, and highlighted the evidence of this by events which took place outside of the Council Chamber ahead of the meeting. Councillor Mead confirmed to Council that is was requesting that the Leader of the Council writes to both the Secretary of State and Oxfordshire MPs in objection to the development. Councillor Mead believed that this was not a heavy task to be undertaken by the Leader of the Council.
Councillor Carl Rylett rose to propose an amendment to the motion, which then developed in to a point of order raised by Councillor Michele Mead (15.7 – Amendment of Motion) regarding a proposed amendment to the motion. Councillor Mead reminded Council that any amendments, in line with the Council’s constitution, must be relevant to the motion and any amendment mustn’t negate a motion, or to introduce a new proposal.
In responding to the point of order on invitation from the Chair, the Monitoring Officer stated that advice given was that the amendment would not negate the motion, and that the amendment would instruct further work to be undertaken to enable options to be considered, and that the amendment would not reverse any request for the Leader’s letter to be written.
Councillor Carl Rylett stated that he had received regular correspondence on the Solar Farm Project and had attended engagement sessions on the proposals. Viewpoints on scale, biodiversity impacts and the aesthetics of the proposed site were also noted. Councillor Rylett further stated that the motion is unhelpful to residents and counterproductive, whilst highlighting that impact assessments must be dealt with by officers appropriately and objectively.
Whilst formally proposing the amendment to the motion, Councillor Rylett read out the intended, amended Motion in Full, as follows:
“This Council fully supports the Government’s Net Zero Target, and recognises the importance of the UK generating its own carbon-neutral energy, and further recognises that West Oxfordshire must play its part in this process.
This Council recognises that many residents and local businesses, including farmers, and Parish Councils, have expressed concerns with the proposed Botley West Solar Farm on land owned by Blenheim and Merton College, and developed by ‘Photovolt’ Development Partners.
This Council notes and approves of the approach being taken by this council to respond to this proposed development, which will be determined by the relevant Secretary of State.
The Council will produce an Impact Statement, which will detail the effect of the solar farm on the environment, population and businesses in the area, and which will be based on robust and empirical evidence. It notes that an officer is dedicated full-time to this role, and further notes that the Council has hosted meetings with Parish Councils to support their response to the application.
Council Resolves to:
- Give careful consideration to the Impact Assessment and decide at that stage whether any further action should be taken.”
Councillor Andy Goodwin seconded the amendment to the motion, and highlighted that whilst there were emotional responses given in the round to the scale of the development, and that members were not in place to make emotional responses.
Councillor Goodwin reiterated his attendance at ‘Stop Botley West’ campaign meetings and that there was strong opinion in the community against the proposals. Councillor Goodwin stated that he had also been out actively campaigning and canvassing in his ward in relation to the proposals. Councillor Goodwin also stated that the proposal lacked detail and evidence, and that the consultation and impact assessment must be high quality.
In the main debate, it was highlighted that West Oxfordshire, as an area, has a relatively large electricity grid capacity with a less dense population by square mile, and that this makes the area a desired location for solar projects, and that there may be more proposals forthcoming. The consultation must be politically neutral, and must not show any bias. Attention was drawn to the site not falling within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and that some existing solar farm did not have the desired capacity.
It was widely stated that the evidence given in the consultation must be taken in to account, and that taking opposite views of others is important within wider debate.
The removal of coal in energy provision was also highlighted, and that making more self-generated electricity was of benefit.
Many members raised concerns about the overall vast scale of the proposals.
The time scale of the opposition to the project was highlighted, and that the proposed letter should be written and sent, ahead of any consultation regarding alternative ideology that may be proposed later down the line.
There was a reminder that the Council was not responsible for determining the outcome of the planning application, and that meetings of the Council,we not planning committees.
Recognition was given to the fact that, as an authority, actions must be carried out with integrity, and should not be party political.
The actions of the Council were deemed to be very influential in the wider process, and that objections raised at an initial stage, would cause harm to the overall process, and that patience and effective communication with local residents and Town and Parish Councils were crucial in early stages of the process.
There was also an urge from members to pull together, and not let emotions be uppermost in the perceptions of how people express their views.
In summing up the debate, Councillor Rylett made reference to the points made in the debate, and stated that the original motion would undermine representations made to the planning inspectorate, and would be counterproductive. Attention was drawn to an upcoming meeting of Development Control, at which it was anticipated that there would be a presentation on Botley West.
Rising on a Point of Order, (15.14 Questions Previously Asked), Councillor Ted Fenton asked the Chair that in relation to a point made in the substantial debate by Councillor Norman MacRae MBE, as to how the amended motion had found its way on the order paper, and had not been made at the meeting. It was perceived that there had been notice given to the motion being put down, ahead of the publication of the meeting agenda.
In response, the Monitoring Officer stated that there is no earliest point in which a motion can be put, although there is always a deadline. The Monitoring Officer committed to writing to Councillor Fenton with a more detailed answer in due course.
Councillor Carl Rylett proposed the amendment to the motion, as described above. This was seconded by Councillor Andy Goodwin and was put to a vote. There were 25 votes in favour, and 18 votes against with no abstentions. The amendment was carried.
In debating the amended motion, it was highlighted that Members must keep an open mind in relation to solutions to climate change, and that care must be taken to reach the right outcome. It was suggested that the original motion expressed serious concerns about the proposal rather than objections. A lot of debate could have been avoided. It was further highlighted that this was a national project, and that the proposals were far too large in scale.
In formally summing up, Councillor Nicholls stated that the amended motion, and the original motion, were in fact two different motions, despite clarification given by the Monitoring Officer, and that the whole issue had become too confusing.
Councillor Carl Rylett proposed the amended motion be adopted by Council. This was seconded by Councillor Andy Goodwin and was put to a vote. There were 25 votes in favour, and 18 votes against with no abstentions. The vote carried.
Council Resolved to pass the following Motion:
1. This Council fully supports the Government’s Net Zero Target, and recognises the importance of the UK generating its own carbon-neutral energy, and further recognises that West Oxfordshire must play its part in this process.
This Council recognises that many residents and local businesses, including farmers, and Parish Councils, have expressed concerns with the proposed Botley West Solar Farm on land owned by Blenheim and Merton College, and developed by ‘Photovolt’ Development Partners.
This Council notes and approves of the approach being taken by this council to respond to this proposed development, which will be determined by the relevant Secretary of State.
The Council will produce an Impact Statement, which will detail the effect of the solar farm on the environment, population and businesses in the area, and which will be based on robust and empirical evidence. It notes that an officer is dedicated full-time to this role, and further notes that the Council has hosted meetings with Parish Councils to support their response to the application.
Council therefore resolves to give careful consideration to the Impact Assessment and decide at that stage whether any further action should be taken.