Kencot Hill solar 'farm' proposal put on hold

Plans for a solar "farm" at the site of a former World War Two airfield in Oxfordshire have been put on hold despite getting planning permission.

The developers of Kencot Hill Solar Farm, near Carterton, said it was no longer economically viable.

On 9 June the Department of Energy and Climate Change reduced the payment for the electricity such "farms" produce.

The Kencot Hill project's website said that move was a "mistake" and it would move forward if policies changed.

The 16-hectare Oxfordshire site was expected to supply energy for up to 1,200 homes through the National Grid.

Previously the government had a feed-in-tariff (FIT) scheme which guaranteed a certain price for that electricity.

But following a review, it decided to reduce the tariffs available to large-scale solar projects to protect the money available for smaller schemes.

From 1 August, new entrants into the FIT scheme, including the Kencot Hill project, would receive the reduced payment.