New renewable power energy centre at Langarth Garden Village given the go-ahead
Low-cost green power will be provided to residents by the facility which has been given the green light by Cornwall Council
Permission for a new renewable power energy centre at the Langarth Garden Village scheme has been granted by Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee, which will provide low-cost green power for residents.
The utility site could ultimately see around 20 megawatts of green energy generated at Langarth as part of the projects developing 'energy strategy'.
It will provide a central hub for electrical power to the site, bringing together on-site and off-site renewable energy. It will be connected to the grid, giving both security of supply and allowing excess generation to be exported.
Heat pump technology, higher levels of insulation and solar panels will be used to power and heat homes, offices and other buildings at Langarth Garden Village, with electric vehicle charging points provided for every home.
Together these measures will deliver net zero carbon homes with low running costs for residents, as well as generating an income from the sale of surplus power back to the grid.
In an addition to the original scheme, the energy centre will also be used to support the development of the new £100m Women and Children’s hospital building, and other planned improvements on the Royal Cornwall hospital site.
Explaining that without the new infrastructure there had been the potential for a delay to the major building programme underway on the Treliske site, RCHT’s Chief Executive Kate Shields said the additional capacity provided by the Langarth energy centre would help ensure that the Trust’s ambitious plans are delivered on time.
“We said at the start of the project that we wanted to create a new way of living at Langarth.
“This means designing a sustainable new community that is adaptable, resilient and fit for future living.
“We have worked closely with adjacent landowners and stakeholders in the planning process. By ensuring a greater use of renewable energy created and used on-site and increasing capacity to support the future use of electric vehicles, the new energy centre will play a key role in helping Langarth, and the Council, to move away from carbon dependency.
“The creation of the new energy centre will not just benefit future residents at Langarth, however.
“I am particularly pleased that the project will support the development of the hospital site, as well as reinforcing the supply of power to Truro, and look forward to seeing these ideas included in other new housing sites across Cornwall.”
Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and the Economy
Buildings and compounds will be surrounded by a combination of stone gabion walls and planted green walls. In keeping with the project’s green Garden Village ethos, wild flowers and trees will be planted around the site to enhance biodiversity and provide a variety of natural landscape features.
A new pedestrian footpath will connect the existing quiet lane to the park and ride and there will also be a viewing platform looking north over the energy centre, with descriptive maps of the garden village.
Information boards and educational opportunities will be provided to describe the role of the centre and help people understand how future communities will be powered.
The project team is also investigating the possibility of providing solar panels on carports on the proposed park and ride extension, as well as on other buildings and offices across the site, and exploring the potential of district heating using geothermal energy as a renewable source of heat.