Parliament's plan to harness wind and Thames

Ambitious plans to make the Houses of Parliament one of the greenest buildings in the country are being considered by MPs.

The proposals include placing a 35-metre wind turbine next to the House of Lords and drilling a 120-metre borehole to provide pure drinking water.

Other measures being considered are a field of mini tidal turbines placed outside the Commons terrace to harness power from the Thames and the installation of double glazing on all the Palace's windows.

The £20 million scheme has been drawn up by BDP Sustainability - a firm which specialises in environmental improvements - and will be considered by MPs and peers in the new year.

The Parliamentary authorities are under pressure to improve the Palace's green credentials.

A wind turbine in Victoria Gardens adjacent to the House of Lords could cut Parliament's carbon footprint by 7.4 per cent a year, while double glazing would cut a further 6.4 per cent.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said it was time Parliament led by example when it came to sustainable buildings. "We can't afford to do nothing and that is exactly what Parliament has done for too long," he said.

But Frank Doran, the chairman of the Commons administration committee, said: "If the wind turbine is located close to the Palace pretty much every view of this Grade-I listed building would be affected."