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Park and ride green light

Sue Carr
21/ 4/2005

A REVOLUTIONARY park and ride scheme is set to make Glossop even greener.

Building has started on a car park opposite Dinting Station - to be completely powered by sunlight.

The unique scheme is the first of its kind that developer Trevor Mooney has seen during 25 years in the business.

"I've seen a few lamps before but I've never come across anything which is completely solar-powered like this," he said.

"We are in the business of working in partnership with the residents and with Derbyshire County Council who are very environmentally friendly.

"We know that Glossop is choc-a-bloc with traffic - you can't move anywhere and the whole village atmosphere is destroyed.

"We hope this will take some of the traffic off the main streets and also reduce traffic on the A57."

Plans for the 156-space park include 15 lamps plus pay and display machines at a cost of around £50,000 - almost three times as expensive as the electrical equipment normally used.

Trevor said: "Each lamppost we have will have a solar panel on it as big as a cornflake box. That gets hit by the sun and charges up a small battery below and that then feeds the light bulbs.

"The technology is so advanced that you don't need a lot of sun. All we need is two hours of direct light each day and we can run it.

"It will also be low-level lighting rather than floodlights so it doesn't intrude on the countryside or the nearby residents and everyone is happy."

The car park on Dinting Road is part of Glossopdale Park and Ride Scheme. The land has now been prepared and work is expected to be completed by July.