Plans have been approved to build two urban solar farms in Gateshead.

Members of the Gateshead Council's Cabinet agreed to proposals for a programme of solar photo-voltaic (PV) installations both to new and existing buildings and sites  linked to the Gateshead District Energy Network to reduce its reliance on energy generated from fossil fuels and help to combat climate change.

The proposals will also lead to the creation of two urban solar farms capable of generating 3MW of clean energy - one on a unused 2.5 hectare site on the Baltic Quarter, and a second on vacant land next to Gateshead Stadium.

The solar farms would be among the first to be built to a modular design, making it easier and cheaper to relocate. This means that if the land is required for development, the PV arrays could be dismantled and re-located to one of a number of other brownfield development sites in Gateshead town centre.

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The Council submitted an outline grant application to the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which includes £3m grant to fund the urban solar farms, which has now been approved in principle.

The proposals also include:

• installing solar PV canopies above car parking bays in sites like Gateshead Civic Centre

• incentivising the developer of the nearby Freight Depot housing site to install PV's on the new homes it builds, potentially generating around 600kW of energy across the site

• including rooftop solar PV on new developments such as the Gateshead Quays Arena and the proposed Gateshead Quays multi storey car park, both of which are due to start construction next year.

Councillor John McElroy, Cabinet member for Transport and the Environment, said: "These are bold plans, and exactly the sort of measures we need to help tackle climate change.

"Rural solar farms are becoming more common in the UK, but urban solar farms are not. Using land set aside for future development to generate something as useful as solar energy is a great way to use an under-utilised asset, reduce our carbon footprint and bring it much closer to where the power is used.

"These and a host of other measures we currently have in development will further reduce our reliance on energy generated from fossil fuels and will make a positive contribution to our fight against climate change."