Mid Devon Council 'jumped the gun' with green energy project

Work on large-scale renewable energy projects at two Devon leisure centres will not begin until planning permission has been granted.

Mid Devon District Council had issued a press release on 4 October to say work had already begun.

The next day a councillor, Les Cruwys, pointed out the announced work did not have planning permission and accused the council of "jumping the gun".

A council officer said there were "different stages" to the project.

People have been encouraged to plan for disruption at both Exe Valley and Lords Meadow leisure centres.

Work to install ground and air source heat pumps will involve drilling deep bore holes underground to access the heat.

At a planning meeting on Wednesday, Mr Cruwys, Liberal Democrat councillor for Cranmore, expressed his anger over the announcement, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said: "Yesterday, the district council put out a very nice notification to the public explaining what was happening with these covers and the solar panels and everything else in the two leisure centres and that work will start on 4 October.

"The work started yesterday. And yet here we are on 5 October looking at when to have the planning committee to give it permission.

"We have jumped the gun again and if we expect the public to adhere to the planning process then we ruddy well have got to do it ourselves."

The council later said only minor work that did not require permission would be undertaken until approval was given.

Andrew Busby, the council's corporate manager for property, leisure and climate change, said: "The work we are currently doing is within the parameters for permitted development rights for installing non-domestic ground source heating."

Permitted development rights allow for some works to be carried out without going through a formal planning process.

Mr Busby added: "The next stage would be the installation of air source heat pumps and solar arrays and that won't be started until, and only if, planning permission is granted."

The work is being funded by £2.8 million secured from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as part of its public sector decarbonisation scheme.

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