Rising costs put Worcester car park solar panel plan at risk

Worcester City Council wants to add more than five times the current number of solar panels on the roof of St Martin’s Gate multi-storey car park.

But a new estimate suggests the work would cost around £140,000 more than first thought and would give the council only a small return on its investment.

St Martin's Gate car park in Worcester (Image: Google Maps)

The council said the scheme would generate enough electricity to power lights, lifts and electric vehicle charging points at the car park, reducing carbon emissions by 49 tonnes annually.

Members of the council’s Policy and Resources committee backed the project in October and a planning application was submitted earlier this summer.

The committee meets again next Tuesday (September 3) and is being asked to put the plans on ice.

A report going before councillors says the estimated cost of the project has gone from £463,250 to £604,365, plus at least £57,500 in fees and project costs.

“Despite factoring in the increased electricity tariff now paid by the council,” the report says, “the net return on investment is 0.5 per cent.

“Committee approved the outline business case in October 2023 on the basis of a net return of 2.5 per cent.”

It says this is a “considerable reduction in return and allows no margin for increased costs or reduced income”.

Other options considered by council officers include closing the top floor of the car park, so the solar panels wouldn’t need to be installed on steel frames.

This would reduce the cost of installation but would also stop the top floor bringing in any revenue.

The original plans to install more solar panels would have seen a reduction in the number of spaces on the roof by about 40 spaces.

According to planning documents, the top deck of the car park would’ve ended up with “fewer but larger spaces”.