Douglas Council has not installed, planned or approved any new renewable energy capacity despite committing to do so in a plan which runs to next year.

The council’s 2017 to 2021 corporate plan stated that the council would ’increase the use of renewable energy throughout the borough’.

Councillor Andrew Bentley (Green Party) asked leader David Christian for an update on the energy capacity, how many buildings the council has bought since 2017 and whether the council has commissioned building works where the required thermal performance is higher than minimum building regulations.

Mr Christian said the council had not created any new renewable energy capacity since 2017 but that ’prior to the plan, solar panels were installed on the larger properties at upper Pulrose and a biomass heating system was installed at Hazel Court’.

He added: ’No new buildings have been procured in the period to date, however the corporate plan is considered, together with other statutory requirements and building standards, during the procurement process.’

Mr Christian also assured Mr Bentley that all new social housing will be designed to comply with Association for Environmentally Conscious Buildings standards.