Prime Minister not Allowed to go Solar
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 04.24.07
We recently reported that future Prime Minister leader of the opposition, David Cameron, ran into trouble with the authorities over the wind turbine he installed at his London home. Now there's news which shows current PM's have just as much trouble with planning applications as potential future PM's.
Tony Blair submitted an application to install solar panels and CCTV on his £3.5 million home, which has been rejected after complaints from neighbors. Perhaps he could buy the whole street, so there would be no objection. He already owns an adjoining £800,000 house which he plans to use as an office.
It's a shame that people are stopped from installing solar cells or wind turbines just because a neighbor complains. One can only hope that now Tony and David have been personally touched by this bureaucracy, new legislation will be brought in to make this kind of thing easier. :: The Guardian




















Do you absolutely have to refer to David Cameron as the "future Prime Minister"? I know it's pretty much unavoidable, but it would be nice to think that elections were still something worth taking part in rather than a token gesture.
Still, if we are on a cynical trip, I would also have to guess that the green lobby will never be as loud here as the pseudo-architectural-conservationists and NIMBY lobby.
I came to comment on the "future prime minister" reference and see that I am not alone in feeling a little sick in my mouth when I read it.
the documentary series Back To The Future showed that "the future is not yet written" so can we please refer to that man as "the leader of the Conservative Party" or 'leader of the opposition". At least until after the next general election.
Are we sure it was the solar panels that caused the objections, and not the CCTV? The UK is being overrun with the latter: one CCTV for every 15 of us limeys at the last count...