Sun sets on pensioner Bill McAlister’s bid to bring solar power to flats in Grosvenor Avenue
Wrangle with neighbours turns 70-year-old into a hero for green campaigners
Published: 8th April, 2011
by PAVAN AMARA
A PENSIONER’S plan to go green has made his neighbours see red – but turned him into an unlikely environmental “hero”.
Bill McAlister, 70, was awarded a £10,000 grant from Islington Council in August last year to install energy-saving solar panels on the roof of his home in Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury.
But he didn’t foresee his three neighbours, who jointly own the freehold of the building with him, objecting on the grounds that they might have to pick up the cost for maintaining the panels.
Now after seven months of wrangling, Mr McAlister’s grant is about to expire and it is unlikely he will receive another one due to a change of policy at the Town Hall.
His fight, however, has been taken up by green activists on the internet, who describe him as a “hero”.
“It’s awful that I’m having to fight a company that I’m a shareholder in,” said Mr McAlister, who has lived in the ground-floor flat of the four-storey building for more than 40 years.
“When I applied for the grant I thought there would be no problem because everyone’s electricity bill would become free and it’s great for the planet. A surveyor came round and said that the house was perfectly suitable for panels to be installed. But then the other three landlords objected.
“I asked them for a reason, but they wrote saying they were not required to give me any reason, and so left me clueless. That was frustrating.”
Mr McAlister took up the issue with Islington North Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, who subsequently wrote to the other three landlords supporting the proposal.
“Somebody from the council even offered to come round and mediate, but they refused to meet with that person,” the pensioner added.
The landlords’ secretary, solicitor Roger Flynn told the Tribune: “What we were concerned about was the long-term maintenance and repair work associated with this installation. If it affects the roof we will require scaffolding, and that can cost £1,000 to £2,000 a time.
“Bill may have mentioned that he would take all the responsibility for that, but I can’t remember, to be honest. He didn’t put anything in writing, that’s all I know.”
Sian Williams, spokeswoman for Islington Council’s Climate Change Fund, confirmed that the deadline for using the grant money “looms” on Monday.
“Bill probably won’t be able to apply for another solar panel grant again, because from now we’re concentrating on grants for decent insulation rather than anything else. This really is a closing deal now,” said Ms Williams. The Energy Saving Trust estimates the average family saves up to £830 annually with a solar panel.
Mr McAlister is fast becoming a sensation among young green activists. Kirsty Schneeberger, director of environmental think-tank Think 2050, said: “The guy is my hero. The fact he is able to think ahead to his grandchildren’s future and think beyond himself is amazing. I’m a fan of his, and he’s gaining quite a few more.”