Planners show red light to homes' green energy plans

TWO bids by Edinburgh residents to go green have been thrown out by city planners.

Plans to fit solar panels to the roof of a 200-year-old house in Portobello were refused on the grounds that they would "detrimentally alter the seaside character of the area" by introducing a "large alien element".

A bid for a 15-metre-high wind turbine in Balerno has also been rejected.

Archie Burns, 60, who was behind the Portobello scheme, said the council had to move with the times in order to safeguard the environment.

The father-of-four, who applied to install the panels on his Pittville Street semi, said: "I wanted to install the panels to get cheaper electricity, and to save the planet. The panels probably would have halved my electricity bill. To be honest, the council's refusal wasn't unexpected. They basically suggest that it's not appropriate to have solar panels on a listed building, even though my plans were in line with current Scottish Government legislation.

"I hope the council take a more environmentally-friendly approach to planning sooner rather than later, but no-one can predict what this council will do. I've been very disappointed with the whole planning process."

The application received one recommendation from Portobello sustainable energy group Pedal, which argued that a renewable energy project should not be rejected on aesthetic grounds, against one objection from the Portobello Amenity Society, which argued that the panels would be visible from Portobello Promenade to the detriment of the area.

In the end, council head of planning John Bury agreed with the amenity society, which counts Mr Burns among its members, and rejected the application.

He said: "Edinburgh supports the Scottish Government's commitment to increasing the amount of renewable energy generated, including the installation of renewable energy equipment of existing buildings. However, support is conditional on the acceptability of the equipment in the context of the historic environment."

The council also rejected plans to site the wind turbine in a cul-de-sac in Balerno.

In a letter supporting his application, property owner Ian Patterson-Brown, of The Green, said: "It is hoped that the local residents will be able to view the installation as a proactive and positive effort to reduce carbon emission and provide a source of renewable and sustainable energy locally."Whilst the location of the turbine may cause visual distraction, it is hoped that in time this will not have any more effect than existing elements in the environment such as electricity pylons or advertising hoardings."

However, council officials said the application should be rejected on the grounds that surrounding properties may be affected by "noise and shadow flicker" from the turbine.