UPDATE: PV for St Mary's and other British Gas Green Streets sites

After excessively long negotiations, the plans to generate electricity using Photo Voltaic panels on the roofs of St Mary's Church in Moseley, the Hamza Mosque, St Mary's CofE School and the pavilion at Moor Green Allotments, funded by the British Gas Green Streets award, are progressing.

All installations have finally been agreed in principle by the owners of the buildings.

The negotiations about the installation on the church with the Birmingham Diocese began after winning the planning appeal against the planning refusal by the City Council Planning Committee. The negotiations lasted for six months and there was much rejoicing when permission was granted this month.

The negotiations for the two buildings owned by the City Council: St Mary's CofE School and the pavilion at the Allotments, had to be completed before planning permission was applied for. The deadline set by British Gas for agreement by the building owners was originally during the autumn of 2010. This was extended and extended and extended. Permission was finally granted for the last building, the pavilion at the Allotments, last week, 37 minutes after the very final deadline.

I'm glad to report that British Gas was flexible about this delay and Lee Barlow, the British Gas Project Manager, wrote to say "Fantastic News!!! I will set the ball rolling at our end."

Planning approval has still to be granted for these two buildings, and for the installation on the Hamza Mosque. The Mosque committee was the first building owner to confirm their wish for the installation, but the planning process could not begin until the Birmingham Diocese had confirmed their agreement for the installation at St Mary's. If they had refused the money allocated to the church would have been divided between the other community buildings.

I hope that only good news will follow about progress for the installation of PV panels on these buildings.