Motorists at a popular leisure park may soon find themselves parking underneath a canopy of solar panels.

The installation of two solar arrays over the car park at Mote Park in Maidstone is one of three projects approved by the borough council as part of a £960,000 investment in green energy.

The project’s aim is to help the council reach its goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

As well as the Mote Park car park, the council hopes to install solar panels on the roof of the Lockmeadow Entertainment Complex in Barker Road, and to recommission and extend the solar panels on the roof of the council’s depot in Park Wood.

Together, the three projects could generate 945kWp of energy which Cllr Mike Summersgill (Green), the cabinet member for climate transition and nature recovery, said could save 108 tons of C02 production annually.

It was also said the projects would be a money-earner for the council, generating around £110,000 a year from the energy sales or savings, which would mean the projects would pay for themselves after 7.6 years.

But Cllr Tom Cannon (Con) raised concerns at the climate transition policy advisory committee meeting about what the canopies at Mote Park would look like and how much energy they would make.

He said: “The proposed Mote Park solar panels could be a colossal waste of tax-payers’ money and have a terrible visual impact.

“The proposed location has old tall oaks and is wonderfully tree-lined.

“You could see the panels never reaching their full energy potential with these trees nearby and therefore it will be a waste money.”

The council’s previous experience with solar panels has not been a total success.

In 2015, it took the decision to invest £270,00 in solar panels on the roof of Maidstone Leisure Centre, but the panels later had to be abandoned and the solar array removed when it was discovered that the roof could not bear the weight.

The council also already has a 50kWp solar panel array on its depot in Park Wood, but a recent survey by independent consultants Lazer Energy has found that it requires total decommissioning, removing from the roof, cleaning and recommissioning “due to its being poorly and dangerously installed.”

The council proposes to spend £120,000 recommissioning the existing array and increasing its size to a 185kWp array.

Adding a battery, which could be charged during the day and then used to power the council’s electric vehicle fleet overnight, is another ambition but that has yet to be costed.

But it was thought desirable, as the depot doubles as the local authority’s emergency planning location, so in the event of a future national power outage, it would still be able to operate essential services.

The large roof of the Lockmeadow complex was thought ideal to fit 879 solar panels that would generate 400kWp and could reduce the council’s energy bill by £70,000 a year. The initial cost was estimated at between £450,000 and £600,000.

Cllr Fay Gooch (Ind) sought assurance from officers that the roof of the Lockmeadow complex - unlike the leisure centre - could support the array, and was told that it could.

Plans for a solar canopy at Mote Park would likely involve trenching and cabling across the park, channeling power back to the leisure centre.

A car park next to the leisure centre had been considered as a location for the canopy but dismissed because of significant shading by trees around the car park, and the fact that the long-term future of the leisure centre is still undecided.

Instead, the canopy will sit over the car park 350m away, by the children’s playground.

Mote Park is Grade II Listed, and the solar canopy would be required to have minimal visual impairment.

Officers also gave assurances that no trees next to the site would be removed.

However, there would be disruption to the football pitch and reduced car parking while construction goes ahead.

The proposed installation is for solar carports across two adjoining car parks at a cost of around £240,000.

The committee voted to approve all three projects, but Cllr Tom Cannon voted against the Mote Park proposal on the grounds that there was insufficient information.

He pressed officers as to whether the estimated carbon savings included the eventual carbon cost of decommissioning the schemes - they did not

He was also concerned that the committee had been given only an overhead view of what the car park canopy would look like, which did not allow members to judge the visual effect on the ground.

Cllr Cannon said: “I have seen similar solar arrays in Spain and they do tend to encourage anti-social behaviour. This is not something that appears to have been taken into account.”

After the meeting, Cllr Cannon said: “I am deeply concerned by the visual impact of these tall solar panel car ports.

“Mote Park is a wonderful green space for residents to escape to. Do we really want to be greeted by tall carports rather than lush towering oaks?

“These car ports will be much taller and the visual impact far greater than a few cars.

“We had no visual impact assessment in the council report and everyone was just nodding it through, which is concerning.

“I suspect they will be a magnet for antisocial behaviour, as I have seen elsewhere.”

Cllr Cannon said: “I am broadly supportive of putting solar panels on the roofs of council buildings if it saves money.

“But we must not kid ourselves that they are some perfect solution at the moment.

“As highlighted at the meeting the environmental benefit calculation in the council report doesn't take account of disposal at their end of life. We also need to be certain these will pay back for the cost and I personally would have liked to see more discussion on where these panels are being manufactured.

“While there is discussion to be had about roof top solar panels. The solar panels on Mote Park must not happen.

“It was a shame to be a lone voice at the meeting. I can only hope others will find the confidence to speak out as the proposals develop."

After the meeting, Cllr Summersgill said: “Cllr Cannon made some valid suggestions.

“The Mote Park solar panel project would require formal planning permission as the park is Grade II listed, and there are also further technical evaluations to be made on the cable routing.

“His concern over anti-social behavior was noted. This aspect is receiving further attention and discussion internally.”

Council leader Stuart Jeffery (Green) said: “The need for renewable energy has never been greater and I am proud that our council is now starting to play its part in this.

“The impact of climate change will be horrendous unless we act fast. “

“Kent is currently looking at a four-degree rise in average temperature which would be disastrous for our communities and for wildlife. We must do our bit to reduce the impacts."

KentOnline asked the council how much the two previous solar panel schemes - at the leisure centre and at the council depot - had cost. We also asked whether the fault lay with the firms that installed them, and whether any action was being taken to recover money from the contractors. We also asked whether there was currently a danger to staff at the Park Wood depot.

In response a Maidstone council spokesperson said : “The solar panels previously installed at the leisure centre were removed in 2019. This has no bearing on the current plans for a completely new installation in line with the council’s Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan.

“The proposed solar panel upgrade at the MBC Depot is being driven in order to enhance the current system which is good news for the environment and Maidstone’s finances.

“The current system at the depot includes 200 panels. This equipment is regularly reviewed by the council to ensure safety is maintained for staff and visitors to the building.

“While this provides assurance as to the array’s safety, to minimise risk, 20 panels will be removed, cleaned and if broken, replaced.”

The council did not provide figures for the wasted expenditure.