Solar power plans for Royal & Derngate theatre

A town centre theatre could have most of its energy needs met by on-site solar power, if planning permission is granted.

The application for major roof works at the Royal & Derngate theatre in Northampton is being considered by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC).

The council owns the building – but not the theatre business – and hopes to install 232 rooftop solar panels at the same time as fixing a leaky roof.

It comes as a separate £538K project to refurbish the auditorium is under way.

Arts Council England provided the grant to allow for the 43-year-old Derngate building to be upgraded.

Proposals to change the roof were spurred on by "water ingress issues [in] existing felted roof areas" as well as a desire to "improve the sustainability of the building".

The planning application said it hoped adding photovoltaic panels would "contribute to the [building's] own energy demands".

"The array would meet 100% of the energy demands of Royal & Derngate and would result in a reduction of 20,658 kg per year of CO2 emissions," it said.

Although the building is Grade II listed, the application said the works would be confined to the modern section of the Royal & Derngate.

It said its map "suggests that the part of the Royal & Derngate buildings to which the applications relate do not form part of the Grade II listing".

The application was submitted in August and people can submit comments by 22 October. A decision is expected to be made on 9 November.

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