RESIDENTS last night had the chance to see plans for the second largest solar farm in the county. As reported by the Oxford Mail in December, European energy firm Aton wants to build the 145-acre facility on farm land in Grove, near Wantage.

And last night, the company held a public consultation of its plan at St John’s Church in Grove.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) previously said the Grove farm would turn fields into an "industrial unit".

 

It is concerned at the impact on the nearby countryside. And Wantage mayor Fiona Roper has said: “It sounds like a bit of an eyesore. I don’t like the idea, if it was very prominent.

“It wouldn’t add anything to the surroundings.”

The solar panels would last for 25 years, and then be dismantled and the site restored to its agricultural use.

Aton is planning to put in a formal planning application following the consultation for the site, which would generate enough electricity to power 6,000 homes. The owner of the land in Grove, Elms Farm, declined to comment until a planning application has been submitted.