Bradford Cathedral has been granted permission for a £50,000 scheme to generate its own power with solar roof panels.
Permission for the installation in the south aisle roof of the Grade I listed building has been given by both the Cathedral's Fabric Commission for England (CFCE) and Bradford Council planners, reports the Bradford Telegraph and Argus.

The Cathedral authorities hope that the photovoltaic cell panels will halve its energy costs, and pay back the CO₂ emissions cost of making them within two or three years.

Preparation work has already started with the replacement of all the lead on the roof with a non-lead substitute. The work is expected to be completed by the end of August with the PV panels activated in September.

Canon Andrew Williams, who leads the Cathedral's Eco Group, said: 'We are delighted to be the first cathedral to be installing PV panels on our roof. We have been working hard over the past five years, not only to become more sustainable ourselves, but to encourage members of our congregation to work hard in their own homes and workplaces to do the same.

'We've changed our light bulbs, introduced recycling and composting and installed efficient boilers. We also run a Fairtrade stall every Sunday morning.'

Cathedral Dean, the Very Reverend Dr David Ison, said: 'I am proud of our Eco Group and our congregation for what they have achieved. We are most grateful for the assistance and guidance of the CFCE and English Heritage for their help and support during our application - and also Sundog Energy, our chosen supplier, for their sympathetic handling of this unique project.'