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Towering roadside wind turbines could help transform the green credentials of a university campus, claims a city watchdog group.
Keith Bothwell - an honorary senior lecturer at the Kent School of Architecture - says measures to cut carbon emissions proposed in the University of Kent’s masterplan are “disappointingly weak”.
Speaking on behalf of the Canterbury Society, he says he wants bosses to consider a far more radical approach, insisting wind turbines could help make the campus more energy efficient.
The masterplan - which sets out the university’s development vision for the next 12 years - has recently been subject to public consultation which has now closed.
Mr Bothwell said: “It goes in the right direction but not nearly far enough, given the climate crisis we are facing.
“There is an opportunity to be far more radical and wind turbines and solar panels could be very effective in providing the campus with self-sufficient green energy.
“Obviously, the height of the turbines would depend on nearby buildings, but the university also has a lot of surrounding land where they could be installed.”
Mr Bothwell also believes a pioneering greener approach would prove more attractive to new students choosing where to study.
His comments are included in the Canterbury Society’s response to the consultation which broadly welcomes the proposals.
University bosses claim they are already addressing climate change on campus.
“We are currently looking to write the next phase of the plan and set new targets that reflect those included in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” said a spokesman.
“We will now review whether the Framework Masterplan should include more references to our sustainability commitments in response to this useful feedback.”
But the Canterbury Society wants the university to set specific annual targets for reducing emissions down to zero in the near future.
In its submission, it adds: “We want to see energy generation facilities on campus. For example, a few wind turbines along the ridge with solar PV panels, might provide all the university’s energy needs.
“Similarly, we would hope for a rapid move to provide electric charge points for staff and visitors’ cars, with access limited only to electric vehicles in the near future.”
Mr Bothwell is also critical of the future design and layout of the campus which he says looks more like a business park than the existing park-like landscape.
The consultation has now ended, with the university expected to put its formal proposals to the city council later this year.
