Yes, of course the LibDems are fully behind solar energy – but not at the expense of valuable arable land!  What is needed is a sensible approach.

So if we could find a place that delivers this energy and has a positive impact on 8 other issues then it could be considered a real winner.

Well, Dave Busby – LibDem councillor for Belstead Brook – may have just had that ‘eureka’ moment. He is proposing that we should cover the Copdock Park & Ride with solar panels.

Apart from the obvious benefit of additional power what else would this proposal give us?

“Generating income for the site would mean that
– Fares could be reduced –  resulting in increased numbers using the service increasing, meaning less traffic jams and less pollution in Ipswich;
– The future viability of the site would be guaranteed;
– Students from Suffolk One could be offered cheap parking – eliminating the continuing thorny problem of them needing  to park in surrounding residential areas,”  Dave points out.

Additional benefits would be that

• Traffic flow into town is reduced;
• Agricultural land is retained for food production;
• The Suffolk landscape is not blighted;
• The site could provide a point for charging electric  cars;
• It means a double use for an asset

Solar panels could also be added at the Martlesham P&R site to provide similar benefits on the other side of Ipswich.

So will it happen?

“Watch this space,” says Dave Busby.