Police warn King Charles that his planned 2,000-panel solar farm in Norfolk to ... trends now
Eco-warrior King Charles III has been warned by police that thieves could steal panels from his planned solar farm at his Royal Sandringham estate unless he puts in security measures in place.
Plans have been lodged for around 2,000 solar panels to be installed on horse grazing paddocks to provide zero-carbon energy for the estate in Norfolk.
According to planning documents lodged with King's Lynn and West Norfolk District Council, the solar farm has been designed to 'meet current and predicted future electricity demands of the Sandringham Estate'.
The solar panels, which will be placed across 2.3 hectares of land, will provide a combined total of 2.1MW of energy, which will be used by the estate and a small amount of additional capacity will also be exported to the electricity grid.
However, Norfolk Police have highlighted that there is a lack of security at the planned development which could invite thieves to steal the solar panels.
Police have objected to plans by the King to put the solar panels at Sandringham, citing various security concerns. An offer by police to ensure that the site is secure has been made
The monarch had earlier applied for planning permission to install around 2,000 solar panels on horse grazing paddocks to provide zero-carbon energy for the 20,000 acre estate
Plans lodged with King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council said the solar farm has been designed to 'meet current and predicted future electricity demands of the Sandringham Estate'
In a consultation response on the plans seen by MailOnline, Steve Gower, a Designing Out Crime Officer at Norfolk Constabulary warned: 'The rate of thefts from such facilities has been increasing in recent years.
'The combination of the rise in the value of scrap metal and the remote locations of such venues in rural areas means that security needs to be appropriately considered.'
He highlighted two elements of the the proposal where planning agents for the Monarch highlighted how no additional security was needed.
Planning agents for the Monarch wrote of needing additional security measures: 'The nature of the location means that security measures across the Estate are already high.
'This being the case, no additional security measures (CCTV, etc.) are proposed as part of this application.'
They added: 'The site will not be manned, and no new external lighting is proposed as part of the development.'
Mr Gower proposed a partnership with the developers of the site to ensure that 'criminal opportunity is reduced'. He explained that incorporating security measures during construction helps to 'reduce crime, fear of crime and disorder.'
Mr Gower went on to suggest a range of measures that could help 'achieve a safe and secure environment'.
He pointed to the need to have a 'symbolic barrier' to 'deter casual intrusion' and to underscore that the site was not open to the public.
He also recommend a wide range of additional security measures, including fencing, modern CCTV, adequate lighting, and modern gate design that
