Green turbine plan blocked by councillors (From The Argus)

Green turbine plan blocked by councillors

8:03pm Wednesday 16th April 2008 in News By Rachel Wareing

Brighton and Hove's green credentials have taken a beating after a plan to build wind turbines on the roof of a council building was blocked.

Conservative party councillors sitting on Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee outvoted their Green and Labour colleagues who had supported the plan for six micro turbines on the roof of Kings House in Grand Avenue, Hove, and a 20 metre mast on the lawn outside.

The scheme would have reduced the £50,000 energy bills for Kings House by up to 10 per cent and saved up to 7.5 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Tonight opposition councillors condemned the Conservatives for halting the green plan.

Councillor Paul Steedman, the Green Party's sustainability spokesman, said the turbines could have made a 'real difference' to the environment and to the council's bills and would have been an 'elegant addition' to the city.

He added: "Sadly, the Tories don't seem to care about cutting our ecological footprint - almost the biggest per person of any city in the UK - and they don't seem to care about protecting taxpayers from rising energy bills."