Members of Penrith Town Councils planning committee have questioned the eco credentials of the £8.5million Voreda House in Penrith when the committee was considering a planning application by Westmorland and Furness Council this week for plans to install an on-site generator alongside the construction of a storage shed.
Voreda House last year because the first retrofit office building in the UK to secure a PassivHaus EnerPHit certification after the completion of the heavily delayed renovation that spiralled in costs to £8.5 million.
During the town council planning meeting. Cllr Doug Lawson said Westmorland and Furness Council had spent what seemed like forever building and renovating Voreda House to make it reach PassivHaus standard and now they are planning on putting a large steel shed in the car park, along with a generator.
Cllr Charlie Shepherd said “People need a shed” but added: “My concern would be that if they did have to bring an emergency generator in, what about the noise”
“It is a residential area. If a generator was ever deployed it would have to be of the highest degree of insulation.”
Cllr Scott Jackson, chair of the town council’s planning committee, said the application should be viewed as if it was for a generator, not just a base for one. He also asked: “Is this included in the footprint calculations of PassivHaus?”
The Town Council’s planning committee voted to support the plans by requested that, when required, the quietest possible generator should be deployed, in order to reduce possible noise emissions and preserve the amenity of people living in the area.
Along with a request that, screening and landscaping of the area must be appropriate and in character with the area.
Westmorland and Furness Council has said the generator is needed purely as an emergency back-up to provide resilience to enable the council to continue to deliver services.
Then select "Add to Home Screen"
