NEARLY £600,000 could be spent on new projects in the district after plans to install solar panels on council buildings fell through.

Braintree Council has been installing the panels on various buildings in an effort to save money on bills.

The scheme also generated cash because of Ofgem’s ‘Fee-in-Tariff’ scheme, which paid money back to solar panel operators who feed electricity in to the national grid.

However, the government withdrew funding for the scheme on December 31.

Robert Mitchell, councillor responsible for energy management, said: “We had planned two larger solar projects for the roof of George Yard car park and Witham Leisure Centre.

“However, due to uncertainty over the future of the subsidy paid for producing green electricity from solar panels, we have decided that the money should go back into the corporate capital pot and taken into account when we consider proposals for the council’s capital investment programme over the next four years.”

Projects at Halstead Leisure Centre, Braintree Swimming and Fitness, Unit 9 Lakes Road in Braintree, and the Discovery Centre in Great Notley have already been completed.

The council had set aside £638,500 and after some expenditure at Great Notley Country Park it now has £586,000 left.

The money comes from the council’s capital funds pot so it can only be invested in one-off projects or property, rather than services.