SOLAR panels could be installed on the roof of a community hall in Dawlish as part of plans to improve the energy efficiency of the site.

Submitted by the Strand Community Trust, the application - reference 26/01345/CLDP - is seeking to obtain a Certificate of Lawfulness from Teignbridge Council for a roof-mounted solar array atop Strand Hall, pictured.

The hall forms part of the wider Strand Church site, alongside the Grade II listed United Reformed Church.

Plans propose an 8.64 kWp roof-mounted solar photovoltaic array on the hall’s south-facing roof.

The installation would comprise 18 all-black LONGi X10 photovoltaic modules, each with a capacity of 480 watts.

The hall is not itself listed, but lies within the Dawlish Conservation Area and next to the Grade II listed church.

It is understood to date from the 1880s and was added to the church complex at a later stage.

No works are proposed to the listed church as part of the application.

The church and hall currently provide space for a range of community, educational and charitable activities.

According to the proposals, the solar array would generate electricity for the electrical installation serving both buildings.

The development is intended to reduce energy costs and improve the site’s overall sustainability, supporting the continued long-term use of the buildings by the local community.

Teignbridge Council are expected to make a decision by October 23.

To view the application in full, visit Teignbridge Council’s planning portal and enter ‘26/01345/CLDP’ into the search-box.