Manchester City's plans for a giant wind turbine have been hit by health and safety fears.
The club had planned to harness wind power with a 360ft turbine in front of the Eastland's Stadium. But fears people could be injured by icicles falling from the huge blades have stalled the scheme.
The wind-powered generator, which would have been the largest in Europe, was due to be built in front of the stadium's administrative entrance.
Unless an alternative site is found, the plan to make the club energy self-sufficient will be scrapped, following a joint decision by the club and energy firm Ecotricity.
The proposal was unveiled in 2005, with planning permission granted in 2006. The three-bladed turbine was due to be running by October last year.
The scheme, designed by Manchester-born architect Sir Norman Foster, would have produced almost 25 per cent more energy than the stadium needed - enough to power 1,250 homes. It would have made Eastlands the first football stadium to generate its own energy.
But EU health and safety laws meant there would have been an exclusion zone around the turbine, because of the risk to people and property.
This would have meant large areas of the car park and TV and radio facilities being out of bounds on match days causing City 'huge problems'. The club say they won't be deterred from going green after the setback.
Spokesman, Pete Bradshaw, said: "We are looking at all sorts of different options to be responsible to the community and the environment."
Ecotricity spokesman Dale Vince said: "This isn't a surprise for us. We've been talking to City for a while about the turbine and it was a joint decision to abandon it."
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This is a disaster for Manchester city - Hughes Out!!!
Forward with Franny!!
why was it going to be built in front of the stadiums administrative entrance?
why couldnt they put it out of the way where no one goes?
wouldn't it be more cost effective to put all the crowd into one corner of the ground and turn the lights off in rest of the stadium as i'm sure all the lights in the ground don't need to be on
The roof can take solar panels so this is the next step.
Solar panels aren't as prominent wheras a wind turbine is.
It was important to explore this avenue but as expected a revertion to solar panels is the way forward on this project.
Whats one more death trap amongst friends?
You have the Bang fenced off why not these wind turbines theres plenty of open space now there are no factories any more.
Thata a joke what would you rather be hit with? A big peice of a steel spike from the bang or a bit of ice?This is the best joke ive read for ages.....The powers that be are concerned about ice and yet we have a "Sculpture" That is shedding large bits of steel atht is still in place,the bang should be demolished for the safety of the public....
Shame, There is plenty of hot air at the worlds biggest club to power it!!!
everythinh seems to take so long to get done (or not in this case) in this country
why is a plan released in 2005 only rejected now?
3 years is far to long to decide on these things
Shame the H&S didn't ban the B 0f the Bang as well !
Why not convert the Stadium roof panels into Solar Panels
why not put the turbine on the roof - more wind up there and ice falling on the pitch might make it more entertaining!
Wind turbine? What amoeba thought that one up? What do you do when there's not enough wind and there definitely won't be in the middle of Manchester at that height. Alternative? solar panels - you're joking of course. Mexican wave power? Ah! I have it! - sit all the fans on static bicycles with dynamos and get them to pedal like mad during the match - free electricity and they'll be too knackered to fight afterwards. Better still harness all the hot air spouted by the armchair experts.
I thought the resident goalkeepers could catch all the icicles, but maybe not...
Jay B, do you mean actually inside the stadium during cup games.
I thought the wind turbine was to blow the ball in the opposition net