SADDLEWORTH Parish Council is to go greener after voting to go through with a solar panel project. 
Now Uppermill’s Civic Hall building will have them installed on its roof in a £100,000 scheme.
But the long-term benefits will outweigh the outlay as it will save council taxpayers hundreds of thousands over the project’s lifetime.  
The scheme will help Saddleworth meet its environmental targets, but also significantly cut the cost of energy to the building, which as well as being used as the civic centre is host to a wide range of community events, markets and concerts.  
Having gone through a long tender process, the parish council has selected a local firm, NPS, to take the project forward. 
Once the finance is agreed, the installation will be relatively fast – and although there is likely to be restricted access to the building’s free public car park for a couple of weeks as it takes place, minimising the impact on residents who use the facilities was a key part of it. 
Saddleworth Parish Council Chair, Cllr Barbara Beeley, said: “This project has been being worked on for the last 12 months, and we have now agreed to apply for the funding to make the project a reality.
“As well as cutting the cost of the energy – the 30-year project will pay for itself in the first seven – we are planning on putting aside some of those savings to replace the solar panels over time, so we will be able to keep investing in more energy efficient systems as they come on the market. 
“The council is playing its part in improving Saddleworth’s environment, and it is also doing it in a cost-effective way. 
“This is just the latest way in which we are improving the facilities that we provide to the community – which also include allotments, a cemetery, community toilets and more.  
“Parish Councils are ground level politics. We are part of our community, and we’re determined to make it the best community it can be.”
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