Movie star Pete going green

Shropshire's Oscar-nominated movie star Pete Postlethwaite is planning to invest thousands of pounds making his country home one of the most environmentally-friendly in the county.

Mr Postlethwaite owns a house in the south Shropshire countryside, near Bishop's Castle, and wants to install a range of ecologically-responsible features.

He has applied to South Shropshire District Council for permission to install a new wind turbine, which will generate electricity for his own use.

And he also wants to install special eco-friendly insulation and photovoltaic tiles to his roof, so that he can convert sunlight into electricity.

Today Mr Postlethwaite, who is currently filming The Tempest, in Manchester, said he wanted to do all he could to reduce his family's carbon footprint.

He said: "The wind turbine will generate around six kilowatts of electricity, which will be for our own use.

"We are also looking at a number of other things that will help the environment. We plan to install solar panels and photovoltaic tiles on the roof. We are also looking to use ecologically responsible insulation in as many areas as possible."

Mr Postlethwaite said he hoped to work with a specialist company to install the wind turbine. He said it would have a minimal impact on the environment and would not be an eyesore.

"It's basically like a telegraph pole. The maximum height is about 11 metres," he added.

Mr Postlethwaite said that many people had great concern about the future of the planet and it was important that everyone did their bit, including him.

Today a spokeswoman for South Shropshire District Council confirmed that the authority had received Mr Postlethwaite's application for a wind turbine. She said the authority's officers would assess the application before a decision was made.

Mr Postlethwaite's family have lived in Shropshire for several years.

By Andy Richardson

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