Flicker of light for solar panel scheme for Oswestry
A community owned, solar energy scheme for a Shropshire market town could still be viable, despite the ending of a government subsidy.
Oswestry Town Council has been working with other organisations on a scheme that would put solar panels on public buildings, generating power for the community.
But just days before the application was to have been submitted, the government announced it could no longer accept applications to the Rural Communities Energy Fund.
Councillors feared their proposals had been scuppered at the 11th hour.
But at the council’s Finance and General Purposes committee on Monday, assistant town clerk, Arren Roberts, said he was still optimistic that the Oswestry Solar Project would go ahead.
“We have been in touch with government and had a meeting. I have been told that Defra is going to make an announcement about funding in the next couple of weeks.
“I left the meeting feeling very positive that there will be funding in future,” he said.
Project
Councillor Vince Hunt said he was pleased at the news.
He said: “A tremendous amount of work from officers and councillors have gone into this project.”
One of the leading lights in the project, Councillor Mike Isherwood, said it would be a great shame if Oswestry missed out on such an opportunity.
He said the £15 million fund had been available to help renewable energy schemes, owned and run by their host communities, get off the ground. A year’s hard work had gone into getting the Oswestry project to the application stage, he said.
"I hope that Defra quickly realises the enormous value of the fund and reverses the decision to deny this important funding to towns like Oswestry which want to help efforts to avert dangerous global warming and invest in energy production which will benefit the community as a whole.”
“I hope we can find an alternative way of going forward because I think this is a tremendous opportunity with wide-ranging benefits for the people of Oswestry.”
Councillor Mark Jones said that an increase in electricity costs had made solar energy more feasible.
“More farmers are now investing in alternative energy schemes are power cuts increase,” he said.
