A villager has said his community's concerns are "very real and valid" amid plans for a huge solar farm on his doorstep.
Bojan Ivanovic lives on a farm in Worton near Cassington and says he is "alarmed" by the prospect of his home being "dead in the middle of the proposed West Botley Solar Farm".
The solar farm would be split across sites in three districts and will span more than 2,400 acres on land mostly owned by Blenheim Estate - but also Merton College and three other landowners.
One section is north of Woodstock, between Wootton and Tackley (818 acres), the largest is between Kidlington and Eynsham (2,429 acres) and the third section is just north of Cumnor and west of Botley (200 acres).
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It could generate enough electricity to power up to 330,000 homes - all the homes in Oxfordshire, said the developer Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP).
Mr Ivanovic said: "As soon as I was made aware of the WBSF plans via a leaflet in my mailbox, I became alarmed and started writing to as many stakeholders and decision makers at the local and national level, including DEFRA, as I could - on behalf of my family and my local community.
"We believe that this project will have material adverse long-term consequences for our community, wildlife, landscape and surroundings."
He said some of his key concerns were negative impact on wildlife and biodiversity, and the restriction on people’s access to nature and their enjoyment of the countryside.
And the size of the scheme "is totally disproportionate and out of place in rural Oxfordshire", the villager continued.
"Solar panels should be on roofs not fields.
"The proposed BWSF metallic eyesores surrounded by barbed wire and cameras will undoubtedly depress the financial value of all real estate adjacent to the contiguous solar industrial zone spanning dozens of parishes.
"Blenheim Palace is getting the full benefit of its heritage protection status to keep solar off its grounds, but has shown nothing but contempt for its direct neighbours by orchestrating the wholesale industrialisation of the adjacent parishes.
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"This project has nothing to do with climate change. One just needs to follow the money trail."
He added that remarks by Botley West Solar Farm Residents' Group had been deleted and blocked from the Blenheim Palace Facebook page.
Blenheim said it believed the proposal for Nationally Significant solar will help to safeguard energy supplies, support global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and deliver more cost-effective renewable energy.
A spokesperson said: “The land within the scheme is planned to continue to be home to grazing livestock and that a broader range of biodiversity often thrives with the switch from arable fields to permanent grassland.
“A key part of the proposal will be to develop a legacy with benefits which last much longer than the temporary nature of the solar development.
"Once the panels are removed the land will return once more to agriculture use but with a legacy of significantly enhanced ecosystems."
Mark Owen-Lloyd, of Photovolt Development Partners GmbH, urged local residents to register their views via their contact channels so that they are notified of public events, and to continue to send their feedback.
He said: "Our plans will increase public access to the land, not reduce it, with new permissive paths and cycle ways and restored bridleways."
And he added: "I would argue that the replacing of coal and methane power stations with wind and solar generation is entirely to do with addressing climate change, as well as reducing the cost of electricity."
"I have received one piece of feedback from the Residents Group," he added.
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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris
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