Call me a nimby if you like – I still don’t want super-sized solar farms in my backyard

In one of the least solar-efficient regions of the planet, a vast swathe of land the size of Heathrow Airport could be covered in 2.5 million solar panels. I’m one of the 50,000 who will be directly affected, writes Stephen Petty – and I’m not happy

Solar power (also fast-developing) should play a part in saving the planet, but that does not necessitate the complete destruction of productive and cherished rural areas (AP)

Most super-sized solar farms are in desert wastelands. Why? Well, the clue is surely in the name: “desert”. AKA... unused, uninhabited expanses with almost relentless sunshine – that’s where you put a super-sized solar farm. Obvious, surely?

Not so, however, for residents living in the shadow of the proposed 11-mile long, three-mile wide “Botley West Solar Farm” in West Oxfordshire, which could soon get the government go-ahead. That’s right: in one of the least solar-efficient regions of the planet, a vast swathe of land the size of Heathrow Airport could soon find itself covered in 2.5 million solar panels.

Botley West would put an end to centuries of food production and destroy the countryside for the thousands of people who live there. If this is what passes for solar “efficiency” in the UK, then it merely reinforces the case for focusing more on wind and other more sustainable alternatives.