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Solar thermal panels and photovoltaic panels
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Installation, alteration or replacement of solar PV or solar thermal panels to a wall or roof
Subject to the criteria set out below, panels that don’t project more than 200 mm beyond the roof plane are now permitted development. However, if your property falls into any of the following categories then you will require planning permission:
- A building which is not a dwelling house nor a building consisting wholly of flats
- A Listed Building
- The dwelling house is located within the curtilage of a Listed Building
- Within any of the Nether Edge Conservation Area’s Article 4 Direction Areas (where permitted development rights have been removed)
- A property where the relevant permitted development rights have been removed by planning condition.
If you wish to install solar equipment to a dwelling, you will need planning permission if:
- The equipment projects more than 200mm beyond the roof slope or plane of the wall. (This distance is measured from the perpendicular with the external surface of the wall or roof slope)
- The highest part of the equipment would be higher than the highest part of the roof (excluding the chimney)
In addition to this, if your property is located within a Conservation Area or World Heritage Site then permission will be required if:
- The equipment would be installed on a wall or roof slope forming the principal or side elevation of the dwelling house and would be visible from a highway; or
- The equipment would be installed on a wall or roof slope of a building within the curtilage of the dwelling house, and this would be visible from a highway.
Should your proposed solar panel not require planning permission then there are three conditions, which you must fulfil, to comply with the Permitted Development criteria. These are
- That the equipment installed on the building shall, so far as is practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building;
- That the equipment shall, so far as is practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area;
- That any equipment no longer needed for micro generation shall be removed as soon as is reasonably practicable
Installation, alteration or replacement of stand alone solar panel (repeated) within the curtilage of a dwelling house
Subject to the criteria set out below, a single free standing solar panel in the garden of a house will now be permitted development. However, if your property falls into any of the following categories then you will require planning permission:
- A building, which is not a dwelling house nor a building consisting wholly of flats.
- A Listed Building
- The dwelling house is located within the curtilage of a Listed Building
- Within any of the Nether Edge Conservation Area’s Article 4 Direction Areas (where permitted development rights have been removed)
- A property where the relevant permitted development rights have been removed by planning condition.
If you wish to install, alter or replace stand alone solar within the curtilage of a dwelling you will need planning permission if:
- It would result in the presence of more than one stand alone solar within the curtilage
- Any part of the stand alone solar would exceed 4m in height above ground level
- Any part of the stand alone solar would be situated within 5m of the boundary of the curtilage
- The surface area of the solar panels forming part of the stand alone solar would exceed 9 square metres or any dimension of its array, including any housing would exceed three metres
- Any part of the stand alone solar would be within the curtilage of a listed building
In addition to this, if your property is located within a Conservation Area or World Heritage Site then permission will be required if:
- The stand alone solar would be situated within any part of the curtilage of the dwelling house and would be visible from the highway.
- Should your stand alone solar not require planning permission then there are two conditions, which you must fulfil, to comply with the Permitted Development criteria. These are:
- That the stand alone solar shall, so far as is practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area
- That any equipment no longer needed for micro generation shall be removed as soon as is reasonably practicable
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