Solar panels attached to a building does not require planning permission on a house, outbuilding or flat provided:
- They do not project above the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney)
- They do not protrude more than 200 mm from the plane of the wall or, in the case of a pitched roof, the roof slope on which they are mounted
- On a flat roof, they do not project more than 600 mm from the highest part of the roof (excluding any chimney)
- If the house is in a designated Conservation Area or a World Heritage Site they would not be on a wall fronting a highway
- The site is not a Scheduled Monument
- They are not to be installed on an outbuilding to a Listed Building
Solar panels erected under this provision are subject to the conditions that so far as practicable they should be sited to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building and the amenity of the area and when they are no longer required they should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.
You must apply to the Local Planning Authority for a determination as to whether Prior Approval is required for solar panels to be installed on a flat roof on Article 2(4) land. Article 2(4) land includes land within National Parks, National Landscapes (formally called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and conservation areas.
Also, a single, stand alone (i.e not attached to a building) solar panel within the curtilage of a house or flat ("curtilage" normally means the land associated with the property, i.e. the garden in the case of a house) does not require planning permission provided:
- It would not exceed 4 metres in height
- In a conservation area where the solar panel is closer to a highway adjoining the property than the property, it would not exceed 2 meters in height
- It would not be within 5 metres of a boundary
- The surface area of the solar panel does not exceed 9 sq. metres
- Including housing it should exceed 3 metres in any direction
- If the property is in a World Heritage Site it is closer to a highway adjoining the property than the property
- The site is not a Scheduled Monument
- The property is not listed
Solar panels erected as under this provision are subject to the conditions that, so far as practicable, they should be sited to minimise the effect on the amenity of the area and when they are no longer required they should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.
You must apply to the Local Planning Authority for a determination as to whether Prior Approval is required before installing a solar panel in a conservation area and closer to the highway adjoining the property than the property.
Existing solar panels and proposed new development
It’s worth noting that recent appeal decisions and caselaw have established that the effect of a new development upon existing solar panels (even at a small domestic scale) is a legitimate planning consideration. This means that in considering new development proposals, local councils will need to have regard to whether a development has the potential to overshadow or compromise the functioning of existing domestic solar panels.