Plans submitted to add solar panels to roofs of four Grantham area schools, as Community Inclusive Trust targets net zero

Multiple planning applications have been lodged, seeking permission to add solar panels to the roofs of four schools in the Grantham area.

The Community Inclusive Trust (CIT), an education charity which runs multiple schools in the area, has submitted plans to add solar panels to Ambergate School, Sandon School, Poplar Farm School and Caythorpe County Primary School.

Daran Bland, CIT's director of development, operations and governance, said: "In July 2022, we launched plans to reduce the trust's carbon footprint. Bingham Primary was our first fully electric school and is flying the carbon reduction flag. Our other 15 sites are now striving to follow suit.

“Making a difference on our collective journey to net zero so far, all lighting (where required) across the trust has been replaced with LED bulbs, electrical monitoring equipment has been installed across all schools, an electric car scheme was introduced, and a Bike2Work Scheme is now also in place.

“Our project this new academic year is to install photovoltaic (pv - solar panels) across our sites. This will provide us with sustainable, noise free, pollution free-energy.

“We will be reducing our trust-wide carbon footprint annually by 45.34 tonnes. That is the equivalent of saving 2,159 trees (six acres of forest) every year!"

One of the proposals is to supply and install 118 solar panels with a maximum output of 47.79 kWp at Ambergate School in Dysart Road.

The panels will be installed on the pitched and flat roofs of the school building.

At Poplar Farm School in Helmsley Road, it is proposed that 120 solar panels with a maximum output of 48.6 kWp are installed.

The panels will also be installed on the flat roof of the school building on site.

The application concerning Sandon School in Sandon Close is could have 48 solar panels added to both the flat and pitched roofs of the school building, with a maximum output of 19.44 kWp.

The fourth application concerns Caythorpe County Primary School in the village’s High Street.

Twenty eight solar panels are proposed there, with a maximum output of 11.34 kWp.

The panels will also be installed on the flat roof of the school building.