A SOLAR farm proposed in Charlbury that has already attracted almost £300,000 in investment from locals has been recognised by the Prime Minster for its popularity.

MP for Witney David Cameron said he was very proud of the Southill Solar Project and called it a great example of people's enthusiasm for green technology.

He said: "I am very proud of my Government's green record – and especially the fact that 98 per cent of the UK's solar panels have been installed since I became Prime Minister.

"As costs come down even further, I look forward to solar competing against other technologies and continuing to be an important part of the UK energy mix."

Southill Community Energy (SCE) launched a share offer in February inviting people to buy shares in Southill Solar to fund construction of a solar farm on the Cornbury Park estate, just outside Charlbury.

The community group needs to raise £3 million to build the solar farm and construction must be completed by the tight deadline of August 31 2016.

Tim Crisp, director of Southill Community Energy, said: "We're delighted the Prime Minister recognises how popular community solar farms are with the public, both here in Oxfordshire and in the rest of the country.

"This sends a strong signal to potential investors that community solar is worth supporting and has a long-term future in the UK – and will serve as a useful reminder to the Prime Minister of what communities can achieve right here on his doorstep."

The share offer on the farm is open until April 8. Investment is open to anyone over 16.

The farm will have an installed capacity of 4.5MW, generating enough electricity for around 1100 typical homes – equivalent to most of the houses in the three closest settlements of Charlbury, Finstock and Fawler.

Initial plans for the scheme met some opposition because of fears about the impact of the panels on the landscape and the original plans were turned down by the council in 2014 for the same reason.

Sustainable Charlbury held a “Bring Your Brolly” day, when residents came along with their umbrellas to represent where the solar panels might go.

After this, the plans were revised to cover an area 40 per cent smaller than originally proposed and a new planning application was submitted, which gained consent last July.

It is one of a number of solar farms planned for the county.

A 20,000-panel solar farm covering 11 hectares of farmland – the equivalent of about 17 football pitches – at Hill Farm, between Duns Tew and Deddington, North Oxfordshire was given planning permission in October last year.

And Lightsource Renewable Energy wants to build a 28-acre solar farm between the villages of Beckley and Elsfield.