St Stephen’s Theatre Company seeks listed building consent to install photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of its Stockbridge headquarters (24/05221/LBC).
Few would bat an eye at such a proposal if only their HQ wasn’t the Category A-listed St Stephen’s Church in the World Heritage Site and New Town Conservation Area. Playfair’s 1828 building is also a soaring landmark to which the eye is drawn from vantage points across the city.
The additions would be made to the octagonal roof behind and below the clock tower. Staran Architects Ltd produce photomontages of the likely appearance from all points of the compass. These appear to show that there is ‘minimal’ visibility of the 27 panels from roof height (without stating which roof height) and none at all from street level (see file at foot of this page).
What they do not show is how the panels would appear when seen looking down from, say, the Castle or Calton Hill (see image below).
Staran say internal features of the building would not be affected, but they do not:
detail how the panels would connect to the rest of the building’s infrastructure
give details of how the additions would be fixed to slate and metal surfaces
specify the panels’ materials and finishes.
Historic structures of St Stephen’s size are notoriously difficult and expensive to heat, and most people would welcome environmentally friendly solutions like solar panels which allow their continued use and survival.
Many people would also accept that some compromising of historic buildings’ ‘architectural integrity’ is an unavoidable price worth paying at a time of climate change as we struggle to achieve net zero.
In this case, however, Spurtle would argue that the application contains too little detail for us to decide whether that level of compromise is acceptable or not.
To submit your opinion for, neutral or against the proposal, go HERE. The deadline for comments is 22 November and a determination is expected by 22 December.
Got a view? Tell us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk.
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