Solar panels for historic Calderdale hall will need to be on floor instead of roof due to listed status

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Solar panels could help power a community centre in Calderdale – but as a listed heritage building they will need to be on the floor rather than the roof.

Fielden Hall at Ewood Lane, Todmorden, is described in the planning application to Calderdale Council as a “significant” Grade II listed historic building, built in 1871.

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A listed building consent application has also been submitted.

A legacy of the famous 19th century mill-owning Fielden family – including the Grade I listed Todmorden Town Hall and other buildings in the town – it was built by the architect John Gibson, who worked with Sir Charles Barry on the Houses of Parliament.

Fielden Hall at Ewood Lane, Todmorden. Picture: Google MapsFielden Hall at Ewood Lane, Todmorden. Picture: Google Maps
Fielden Hall at Ewood Lane, Todmorden. Picture: Google Maps
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Included in Todmorden Town Deal plans for neighbouring Centre Vale Park, the town’s Ward Forum recently heard that £400,000 is planned to retrofit the hall, inclusing use of air source hat pumps, for which a separate application – number 24/00993/LBC – has already been submitted, equipping one of the town’s historic buildings for the future.

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Scheme partners and applicants Calder Valley Community Land Trust are seeking a minimum 35 per cent reduction in energy use to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of the hall.

This will ensure the hall’s future as a key component to the town, hosting a wide range of community events, argues the application.

As a Grade II listed building putting the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof is not suitable, so the intention is to mount them on the ground within the north west edge of the hall’s car park.

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Plans also include the installation of an inverter – a key component which converts energy from panels into electricity – in the storage area inside Fielden Hall.

According to the application, to connect the PV array and the inverter, an armoured cable is proposed to climb the front facade from ground level to the first floor.

Fastened to mortar joints only, the cable will enter the building through a weather tight insertion and travel across the building’s first floor to reach the other side of the building where the inverter will be stored.

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The applications – 24/00989/FUL and 24/00990/LBC – can be viewed on the council’s Planning Portal.

Town Deal plans for Centre Vale Park also include restoration of another architectural gem, its bandstand.

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