Solar panels fitted at Blackpool's Winter Gardens

Solar panels installed on public buildings could eventually meet all of a council's energy needs, it has said.

Blackpool Council expects panels fitted on the roof of the Winter Gardens to save taxpayers £1.2m over the next 25 years, with the scheme's installation costs covered within four years.

Solar panels at the Grade II listed venue are already generating about 5% of the building's electricity requirement, according to a report prepared for a full council meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile a decision is expected soon about plans to build a solar farm - with 36,000 panels - at Blackpool Airport. The council believes the scheme could cover three-quarters of its annual energy costs.

There are currently solar panels at The Grange community centre.

The next phase of work will see them fitted at Palatine Leisure Centre under the successful Sport England Swimming Pool Support Fund bid, and also at the Palatine Library, both on St Annes Road in South Shore.

Future sites earmarked for solar panels include Layton Depot and the Blackpool Illuminations Lightworks depot on Amy Johnson Way.

Meanwhile, a decision is expected shortly on scoping documents submitted to Fylde Council as part of proposals to build a solar farm at Blackpool Airport, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The next step would be an application for full planning permission for the project.

Another site has also been identified for potential solar farm development which, if it went ahead, would mean all the council's energy could be generated without carbon emissions.

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