Cambridge's King's College chapel to be fitted with solar panels

King's College chapel will have its old lead roof stripped and replaced, with solar panels put on top

Hundreds of solar panels will be installed on the roof of a Cambridge University chapel, despite objections.

Cambridge City Council approved the application to install 492 photovoltaic panels on the lead roof of the 15th Century chapel at King's College.

Councillors said the plans would serve as a "symbol" for climate change.

Historic England was among those against, saying the panels would "harm people's appreciation of the chapel's extraordinary architectural character".

At a planning meeting on Tuesday, councillors were told by a college representative that the panels would meet the chapel's entire energy demand.

The panels would contribute a 1.4% reduction in carbon consumption across the estate, they said.

The chapel's 150-year-old lead roof would be stripped, melted down and reused over the next few months, the university said.

'Promote change'

The plans had been recommended for refusal by city council planning officers.

Their report stated the panels would "detract" from the architectural character of the roof and "important views of the chapel would be harmed".

They said the benefits of the carbon reduction were considered on balance to be "not sufficient" to outweigh the "less than substantial harm" to the Grade I-listed chapel.

However, councillors said they believed the benefits of the scheme did outweigh any harm.

King's College is one of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and was founded in 1441 by Henry VI

Labour's Dave Baigent said the application presented an opportunity to "promote change", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Alex Collis, also a Labour councillor, said it showed a commitment to a net zero carbon future, highlighting that other "significant" UK buildings had also had solar panels installed.

Liberal Democrat, Katie Porrer, said it was a "difficult decision" for her as the chapel was a "beautiful building" and she did not want to do anything to damage it.

The meeting was told the panels would not be permanent and could be removed without damage if technology advancements meant they were no longer needed.

Committee councillors unanimously voted to approve the application.

Provost of King's, Prof Michael Proctor, said: "As the planning committee noted, the panels will have only a very minimal impact on the visual appearance of the chapel.

"But [it] will make a considerable difference in the process of decarbonisation by meeting 100% of the energy needs of the building and reducing the college's carbon emissions by more than 27 tonnes each year."