The owners of an historic mansion have been given the go ahead to put solar panels in a field to help cut costs of an underground heating system.
Giffordbank House, in the East Lothian village of Gifford, is served by a ground source heat pump, installed three years ago to provide carbon free heating for the home and a neighbouring cottage.
In a bid to reduce running costs the owners wanted to install solar panels but were unable to put them on the roof or in the garden grounds of the Category B Listed building.
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Instead they applied for a change of use of the agricultural field to allow them to put 54 ground mounted panels in a field next to the homes.
East Lothian Council planners approved the proposals despite receiving one objection from a resident who raised concerns the panels would impact on the view of the open field at the entrance to the village.
Planning officers ruled the small size of the project would not be detrimental to the view of the field.
Agents for the applicants said the heat pumps had replaced oil-burning boiler and inefficient electric storage heaters.
They said:"Despite efficiency measures such as improving insulation and installing underfloor heating, the electricity costs to run the heat pump are high.
"The applicants are therefore looking to install PV solar panels to generate electricity to support the operation of the heat pump.
"Given the Category B listed status of Giffordbank House, it will not be possible for these to be roof installed and it is proposed that the array be ground mounted within the field."
Planning officers said putting the panels in the garden grounds of the listed house would be "undesirable" and ruled using the field would not result in "significant loss of prime agricultural land".
They said: "In their positions the array of solar panels would not be visible in public views of them.
"They would not appear as harmfully dominant, intrusive or incongruous features within their landscape setting."
