A nearly 600-year-old church in the city centre is moving into the 21st century by applying for solar panels.
The application was submitted to Norwich City Council on July 20, with the panels to be placed on the south aisle roof of St Peter Mancroft Church, on the Hay Hill side.
Rev Edward Carter is the church's vicar and an advocate for greener pastures.
Rev Edward said we're committed to taking environmental issues seriously (Image: Newsquest)
The 54-year-old, who lives in Unthank Road, said: "We're an eco-church, so we're committed to taking environmental issues seriously, including our carbon footprint.
"With these plans we're hoping to take a step towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
"For us the challenge is the electricity and heat as we have a lot of events at the church, so we need to keep the building warm and moderately lit.
"There are obviously issues around adding solar panels to such an old building - 593 years old - something we are sensitive to.
"We understand there will be concerns around it and something we'll take seriously during the process.
"We won't do anything to annoy or upset anyone and will do everything with permission from the council and church."
As well as the solar panels, Rev Edward added the church would be looking at other energy-saving ideas.
He said: "Heating also uses a lot of energy so we're exploring the idea of getting an air source heat pump, which we're confident would provide good heating throughout the church.
"The lighting system is also around 40 years old, so we want to install LED lights to dramatically reduce its energy usage.
"Hopefully we'll get permission for these soon.
"We want to become a green church. It's something we preach about when giving sermons - it's a spiritual thing.
"We're hopeful we can go ahead with everything and help care for our environment."
The consultation is due to end on August 17 with a target of a decision being made by September 14.
Source: eveningnews24.co.uk
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