A Dorset supermarket is seeking planning approval to cover almost all of its roof with more than a thousand solar panels.
Sainsbury’s says adding the panels at its Ferndown superstore will achieve a 92 tonne annual reduction in carbon emissions and generate up to 434kw of power.
In a statement with a prior approval planning request to Dorset Council it says the panels will be mostly hidden from the ground.
Meanwhile Bournemouth’s Norfolk Royale hotel has been given planning consent for 112 panels on the roof its Grade Two listed building on Richmond Hill.
The panels will be fixed to four roof areas on top of existing tiles mainly in the South West corner of the building.
They will be more than 30 metres away from the nearest property in St Stephen’s Road and unlikely to be seen from street level.
A planning agent acting for the hotel said: “The installation of the proposed solar PV system will greatly help in the continuous rise in energy bills and help pay towards the running costs of such a beautiful historic building
“We feel the development will not adversely affect the character or appearance of the property, streetscape, or surrounding area.
“The materials and design are consistent with solar panels that are installed elsewhere around Bournemouth, and we are sympathetic to the wider locality, intentionally preserving the local character and visual amenity.”
The building dates back to 1897.