An application to install 56 solar panels on the roof of a church has received overwhelming support in its planning battle from locals.
The St John The Evangelist Church in Copthorne, West Sussex, has been locked in a planning battle with Mid Sussex District Council – with a previous application for the panels being rejected last year.
Locals are calling for planning permission to be granted as they believe they can "make it so that this amazing church can keep running".
Where are they applying to put the panels?
Church operators are applying to install 56 solar PV panels on the south-facing roof of the building.
It is claimed that the panels will be "carefully selected to complement the existing clay tiled roofing, with colour matched aluminium supportive framework".
Inverter control equipment and a solar battery would also be installed inside the church.
Why do church operators want to install solar panels?
The church operators hoped to install solar panels to help reduce the building's environmental impact and reduce energy costs.
The church currently uses 85 kW electrical radiant heaters and the church operators stated in the application: "We are studying ways to reduce the size of our carbon footprint, through improving thermal insulation, improving draught-proofing and the introduction of cost effective green generation electricity to reduce our effective heating load and thus contribute towards net zero.
"This solar PV array will provide energy to heat the building, either as an adjunct to supplies needed for the current radiant heating system, or to supply were to drive an external air-source heat pump which would provide internal heating via an underfloor heating array above an insulated suspended floor system."
Any additional energy not used could be sold back to the Distribution Network Operator under the Smart Export Guarantee to make even more savings, it was argued.
Previous application was rejected by the council
Mid Sussex District Council officers rejected an application by the church to install the 56 solar panels last August saying it "would be harmful in terms of design and to the external appearance of St John The Evangelist Church".
They claimed as the church "is a non-designated heritage asset that has a high level of interest within the local context" the proposal failed to comply with paragraphs 130 and 203 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
The council has stated "the new proposal submitted under this enquiry remains the same as was considered under application DM/23/2103, which was refused".
They added: "As illustrated in the comments from our Conservation Officer, no changes have been made to the previous submission, in terms of the number or position of the solar panels, therefore this assessment would remain as before."
Locals claim installing solar panels 'absolute no-brainer'
The application received overwhelming support from locals with over 20 neighbours writing into the council.
One neighbour wrote: "Seems an absolute no-brainer that this should be approved, and quickly. Decarbonising our electricity supply is a national priority as we transition to net zero, and should (and for anyone sensible, do) trump subjective views about the appearance of solar panels in various unprotected views."
Another stated: "We are in support of the church reducing its carbon foot print and we believe that the installation of solar panels as a renewable source would be a great way forward of doing this."
One also claimed it is a "great idea" due to rising electricity costs the solar panels could "make it so that this amazing church can keep running".
The council is yet to decide whether the solar panels can be installed.
