Thames Valley to be home to UK’s first carbon-negative business park

Westcott Venture Park is to become the first business park in the UK to be carbon-negative, following the approval of plans for the UK’s first unsubsidised on-site solar photovoltaic power plant, which will make the existing solar park seven times bigger.

The largest business park in Buckinghamshire, the solar farm extension will cover a staggering 76-acre site and enable Westcott to reduce its carbon footprint whilst simultaneously promoting environmental sustainability. Westcott’s current solar park has prevented over 4,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere to date.

Rod Mordey, a Director of Rockspring Property Investment Managers, on behalf of the owners of the business park commented:

“This pioneering scheme is the UK’s first unsubsidised on-site solar power plant, proving Westcott Venture Park is the ideal location for forward-looking businesses. We are committed to creating an environmentally sustainable business park and this is one of the key initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint.”

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Westcott began as a base for training bomber crews in WWII, and in 1946 became a Government Research Establishment, specifically for rocket propulsion research. In 2016, 70 years later, the UK Space Agency selected Westcott as the UK’s National Space Propulsion Test Facility.

Today, the Park is transforming into a UK Centre of Excellence for global technology, and is home to 76 businesses that generate employment for more than 600 people. Providing fast access to the UK Motorway network by being situated between Aylesbury and Bicester, Westcott Venture Park is an excellent location for high-growth companies.