Latest plans for 1,500 solar panels at University Hospital of Hartlepool win approval

Hartlepool Borough Council has granted planning permission for the photovoltaic panels on gravelled land to the back of the Holdforth Road site.

The application from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust will deliver 1,520 panels to contribute to a selection of “wide-ranging energy projects” to help the hospital meet carbon reduction targets for 2030.

Planning documents from Veolia, who are working on behalf of the trust to deliver decarbonisation developments at the site, stated the proposals will “create energy efficiency and cost reductions.”

A report from council planning officers has confirmed the application has been approved, noting the principle of development is “acceptable” and “would not lead to any significant visual impacts.”

It added the proposal “would not result in any significant detrimental impact on the living or working conditions, amenity or privacy of neighbouring land users.”

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Application documents noted the panels will “not make any noise” and, in terms of visual impact, will be located at a “very low level” behind an existing brick boundary wall separating them from nearby properties.

It comes as trust bosses previously outlined how the hospital will use a combination of renewable energy from the ground and from the sun to provide heating and electricity to the site.

Plans for 772 roof-mounted solar panels were given the go-ahead in March.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has received more than £13 million of grant funding to help carry out the overall work.