The council’s plan to add more solar panels to the top of a city centre car park has reached the planning stage.

Proposals for the construction of additional panels on the roof of St Martin’s Gate car park in City Walls Road have been submitted to planning officers.

A number of solar panels are already in place on level five of the multi-storey car park, on a canopy structure over the roadway.

The plans would add more than five times the number of panels - and increase the amount of energy produced by nearly 450 percent.

This would generate enough power to help run hundreds of lights, electric vehicle charging points and the lifts at the car park.

Worcester City Council says the scheme would also save 91.7 tonnes of carbon annually - a significant step towards its target of achieving Net Zero by 2050.

As we reported in October, the council also estimates the increased number of solar panels would help cut its electricity bills by around £58,000 a year.

This is offset by the fact it will cost the council at least £521,000 to install the solar panels in the first place.

Planning documents also show that the installation of a new canopy will reduce the number of parking spaces on the roof of the car park by about 40 spaces.

“This reduction is due to the support columns, which limit the space between vehicle bays, necessitating the reconfiguration of the line markings,” the planning statement says.

“The new layout will maximise available space resulting in fewer but larger parking spaces, which can comfortably accommodate larger vehicles.”

In the application, the council argues that the “minor reduction” in parking can be absorbed by other car parks in the area.

“The car park is only fully utilised during the Christmas festive period. Throughout the rest of the year, the reduction in spaces will have no significant impact,” it says.

“Additionally, overflow parking is available directly opposite the B4205, ensuring the minor reduction in parking can be easily accommodated within the local area.”