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Solar panels

Planning Permission: Stand alone solar equipment (panels not on a building but within the grounds of a house or a block of flats)

All the following conditions must be observed:

  • Stand-alone solar equipment should be sited, so far as is practicable, to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area
  • When no longer needed equipment should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.
  • If solar equipment is to be installed in a conservation area, closer to the highway than the nearest part of the house or flats, then the developer must apply to the local planning authority for prior approval.

All the following limits must be met:

  • Only the first stand alone solar installation will be permitted development. Further installations will require planning permission.
  • No part of the installation should be higher than four metres.
  • In a conservation area, where the solar equipment will be installed closer to the highway than the nearest part of the house or flats, the equipment should not be higher than 2 metres.
  • The installation should be at least 5m from the boundary of the property.
  • The size of the array should be no more that 9 square metres or 3m wide by 3m deep.
  • Panels should not be installed within boundary of a listed building or a scheduled monument.
  • if your property is in a World Heritage Site, no part of the solar installation should be nearer to any highway bounding the house than the part of the house that is nearest to that highway.

Note - If you are a leaseholder you may need to get permission from your landlord, freeholder or management company.

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      The Planning Portal is delivered by PortalPlanQuest Limited which is a joint venture between TerraQuest Solutions Limited and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). All content © 2024 Planning Portal.

      The Planning Portal is delivered by PortalPlanQuest Limited which is a joint venture between TerraQuest Solutions Limited and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). All content © 2024 Planning Portal.