Controversial plans for Britain's biggest-ever solar farm set to stretch across three Oxfordshire districts have been submitted to the government.

Photovolt Development Partners (PVDP) on behalf of SolarFive Ltd Solar sent its proposals to the Planning Inspectorate on Friday (November 8).

The 840-MW solar farm is approximately 1,400-hectares (3,459 acres) in size and would cover sites near Botley, Kidlington and Woodstock mostly owned by Blenheim.

All the evidence will now be examined in depth and assessed against the Planning Inspectorate's criteria over the next six months.

PVDP said they hoped for a final decision on the project by late 2025 and the development "could be providing clean, cheap energy to Oxfordshire homes" from the end of 2026.

Bicester and Woodstock MP Calum Miller said: "This is a very significant proposal. Alongside many others, I have opposed the sheer scale of the scheme and the very low level of proposed community benefit.

"I hope that the material published will be accurate and comprehensive so that residents can take an informed view.

"We are now entering the statutory period of the process when it will be the planning inspector - and not the scheme proposers - who will receive the input of residents. So it is more important than ever that people contribute their views when the consultation opens."

There have been three public consultations since the proposals were first put forward in 2022.

West Oxford MP Layla Moran, whose constituency includes part of the site, said: “I will be looking in depth at these plans, and working closely with other MPs affected to represent the voices of local residents.

“Like many in Oxfordshire I firmly believe that we need to address climate change and achieve net zero in a way that brings communities with us, and that investing in renewable energy plays a vital part in that fight.

“I have long raised concerns that this scheme suffers a serious deficit of local democracy, and I will be making strong representations to Ministers and others to make sure local voices are heard.”

Stop Botley West community group has opposed the proposals since they were first introduced in 2022.

Chair of the group Professor Alex Rogers described it as a "massive, untested, profit-driven technological experiment that threatens to significantly damage our local farming community, local villages, environment, biodiversity and heritage". 

He said: “We welcome the fact that the Planning Inspectorate’s process finally gives all interested parties the opportunity to review, and challenge where necessary, critical information that PVDP has failed to provide.”

Project director Mark Owen-Lloyd said the application "represents the culmination of two years of extensive, arduous work".

He said: “The 14,000-page environmental statement comprehensively details the significance of this project, not just for the benefits of Oxfordshire residents, but for the UK’s national energy security.

"We are delighted that the next phase of the application will be entirely focused on factual arguments for the development, and we look forward to presenting hard, detailed evidence for examination by independent planning experts.”

Once the six-month examination process is complete, the Planning Inspectorate will have another three months to produce a recommendation for the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband, and he will have another three months to make a decision based on that recommendation.