Installation of solar panels on domestic properties

Installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on a dwellinghouse or a block of flats is considered to be permitted development under Schedule 2, Part 14, Class A of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended), and does not require formal planning permission, providing the installation accords with the following limitations and conditions set out in A.1 and A.2 below:

Renewable energy

Class A – installation or alteration etc of solar equipment on domestic premises

Permitted development

A.  The installation, alteration or replacement of microgeneration solar PV or solar thermal equipment on—

(a)a dwellinghouse or a block of flats; or

(b)a building situated within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or a block of flats.

Development not permitted

A.1  Development is not permitted by Class A if:

the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would protrude more than 0.2 metres beyond the plane of the wall or the roof slope when measured from the perpendicular with the external surface of the wall or roof slope;

1. it would result in the highest part of the solar PV or solar thermal equipment being higher than the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney);
2. in the case of land within a conservation area or which is a World Heritage Site, the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a wall which fronts a highway;
3. the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a site designated as a scheduled monument; or
4. the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a building within the curtilage of the dwellinghouse or block of flats if the dwellinghouse or block of flats is a listed building.

Conditions

A.2  Development is permitted by Class A subject to the following conditions:

1. solar PV or solar thermal equipment is, so far as practicable, sited so as to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building;
2. solar PV or solar thermal equipment is, so far as practicable, sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area; and
3. solar PV or solar thermal equipment is removed as soon as reasonably practicable when no longer needed.