Bosses at Carlisle’s Kingmoor Park have revealed its strategy to reduce its carbon footprint.

Cumbria’s only Enterprise Zone has lodged a planning application for a four-acre solar farm, to help meet its energy needs and save around 250 tonnes of C02 a year.

If the application is approved by Carlisle City Council, the 3,000-panel farm will be created on open grazing land on the Brunthill Estate.

Kingmoor Park said it would be operational within six weeks of approval and would provide 877,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, equivalent to around 15 per cent of Kingmoor Park’s energy needs.

Neil McIntyre, Kingmoor Park’s managing director, said: “We have a private electricity supply at Kingmoor Park which means that most of our energy needs including the 200 businesses on site, street lighting etc comes from one supply.

“We have to sure that supply is consistent, as a capacity to grow and is economical.

“Over the next five years we will be implementing a range of initiatives that will enable us to reduce our need for energy from non-renewable sources.

“We are continually looking for ways to work with our tenants in devising initiatives for the site’s future and in this case, we are working very closely with solar maintenance services and North Lakes Energy to ensure that we are proving the best energy solutions for the site as a whole.”

James Mclinden, managing director of Solar Maintenance Services, added: “I think that this is an excellent use of land at Kingmoor Park, to create their own energy from the sun.

“We have been working with Kingmoor Park for two years now, managing their energy use and the solar development is part of a long term energy strategy.

“Kingmoor Park is keen to reduce its carbon footprint, the new solar development will be a big step forward and I am delighted that North Lakes Energy Group is working with Neil and his team on the development. “

Solar Maintenance Services looks after about 50 megawatts of solar through the UK made up of other solar fields and some residential systems.

The project will be agriculturally friendly, Kingmoor Park said, which means the resident sheep population of Brunthill will continue to graze undisturbed.

Earlier this month, a £1.3m business park, made entirely of shipping containers, was given the go-ahead by planners.

The initial phase, which has been designed by Revolution Architecture – part of the Prospus Group – will consist of 24 offices and a café.