New solar-panelled car park planned near stadium

An artist's impression has been released of the proposed car park on land next to Wickes off Stafford Road in Wolverhampton

A new 205-bay car park with solar panels is set to be built about half a mile from Wolves' Molineux Stadium.

The unmarked land next to the Wickes store off Stafford Road has been used as an informal car park for worshippers at the Jaamia Masjid Aqsa mosque and on match days for Wolves fans.

The plans, by Tomato Energy, include 82 electric vehicle charging points.

A total of 1,400 solar panels would be installed on carports to power the car park, with energy stored to distribute to the local area.

Twelve hundred plants have been included to boost biodiversity.

City of Wolverhampton Council approved plans in 2019 to use the land as a car park when the site was cleared, with a number of trees cut down.

A statement included with the application said the site had gravel at the moment and the development included finalising the top layer of the car park and creating a surface with markings.

The project included "a photovoltaic (PV) solar canopy system over the bays to produce clean solar energy", it added.

"This energy will be managed on-site, either stored in batteries or used to supply local needs, supporting a sustainable energy cycle," the statement continued.

"A portion of the energy generated will be allocated to a community battery, creating a resource for local residents and contributing to Wolverhampton's green energy infrastructure."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.