Solar panels can be a great monetary investment that will reduce your electrical power expenses and make you money. They’re similarly a wise idea if you wish to minimise your carbon emissions.
Nevertheless, you do have to make sure that your proposed solar panel setup follows planning policies prior to you continuing your project. Something you may have to do is look for planning permission.
The good thing is, planning regulations aren’t as complex as they may appear and on numerous occasions planning approval isn’t necessary. Have a look at our guide to discover more about planning consent and whether you need it for your domestic solar panel setup.
Precisely What’s Planning Permission?
Getting planning permission is a process that you might need to go through prior to doing a specific type of building work. To obtain planning approval, you’ll have to complete an application and send it to your local planning authority.
When your local planning authority has received your application, they’ll have a look at if the work you wish to do requires planning approval. If it does, they’ll look at the legislation and choose whether to offer it to you. Whether you’re granted planning permission or not might count on the size, look, usage and access of the proposed work. Your local authority will likewise consider how it will affect people living in the location.
Do I require planning approval for solar panels?
With photovoltaic panels, on numerous occasions, planning authorisation isn’t needed. This is due to the fact that they’re thought as a permitted development, which is useful. This does not suggest there aren’t restrictions though, so you still have to take care about how you continue with your setup.
If you’re installing solar panels on your roof or wall and do not want to apply for planning approval, you have to guarantee that:
- They aren’t higher than the highest part of the roof
- They do not protrude more than 20cm from the roof system or wall
- They’re not set up on a building that is in the grounds of a listed building or monument
- If your home is in a conservation area or World Heritage Site, the panels aren’t on a wall fronting a roadway
- The setup affects the look of the building as little as possible
- Any unwanted equipment is removed as quickly as possible
If you’re establishing standalone photovoltaic panels and do not want to seek for planning permission, you need to ensure that:
- The setup is no higher than 4m and covers no higher than 9m²
- The setup is at least 5m from the property’s boundary
- The panels aren’t established within the limitation of a remembered structure or monolith
- If the home is in a conservation area or World Heritage Site and there’s a highway surrounding your land, the panels are no closer to the roadway than your house is
- There are no pre-existing photovoltaic panel setups on the land
- The setup doesn’t limit access to or the use of any buildings on the land plot
- Any unneeded equipment is eliminated as rapidly as possible
If your solar panel setup isn’t going to follow any of these restrictions then you’ll have to apply for planning approval.
How can I request planning approval?
You can request planning permission through your local authority’s site. If you’re not precisely sure who your local authority is, you can utilise the government’s helpful tool to find out.
If you aren’t 100% sure whether you require planning permission or not, it does not hurt to contact your local planning authority and find out. You’ll need to pay a charge to get planning approval, but there’s no charge for just getting advice.