You are here: Am I allowed to install solar panels without planning permission?

In most cases, solar panels mounted on a roof or wall of a private house do not require planning permission as they would normally fall under what is referred to as permitted development rights. There are a few conditions that apply if the requirement for planning permission is to be avoided.

Panels must not be installed above the ridgeline of the property and should not protrude more than 200mm from the surface of your roof. These conditions will be met if panels are mounted parallel to the roof on a sloping roof, however, they are unlikely to be met if the panels are mounted on a flat roof. They should also be fitted in a way that least affects the external appearance of the property and the surrounding area.

Solar panel installation
Solar panel installation

Before commencing the installation of roof mounted panels it would be wise to have a structural inspection of the roof undertaken to ensure that the existing roof supports are adequate for the extra load on the roof supports that the solar panel installation will create

Ground mounted, domestic installations are required to meet other, more prescriptive regulations and if these are not met, planning permission would need to be obtained. Only one ground based installation would be allowed under permitted development, after which, planning permission would be required.

Any ground mounted installation would require to be:

  • no more than four metres in height
  • no less than 5m from boundaries
  • limited to 9 square metres
  • not installed within boundary of a listed building

In a conservation area, a ground mounted installation should;

  • not be installed in the area between your property and a road
  • not be visible from the road

If your property is a listed building, installing solar panels is likely to require an application for listed building consent, even where planning permission is not needed. Installing solar panels in a conservation area, is still possible, often without applying for planning permission, albeit with certain extra conditions applied. Solar panels should not be attached to walls facing a road. In both listed building and conservation area installations is it always best to check the details of your planned installation with your local authority planning department.

In Scotland, there are additional rules that require planning permission if solar panels are to be installed on the exterior walls of a block of flats

Solar installations which are capable of producing in excess of 3.68kWp (kilowatt 'peak' power) output, would also require an application to the electricity distribution network operator (DNO), for a connection to the national grid. This is normally granted by the network operator.

Non-domestic installations will, similarly, not normally require planning permission as they will be allowed under permitted development, provided panels:

  • are kept less than 200mm from the surface of the roof or wall on pitched roof and wall installations
  • are at least 1m from the edge of the building on pitched and flat roof installations
  • are less than 1m from the roof surface and cannot be the highest part of the building, excluding the chimney on flat roof installations

A ground mounted installation should be no more than 9 square metres in area, with a maximum horizontal dimension of 3 metres in any one direction and be no higher than 4metres.

Permitted development will not be applicable if

  • the installation is on a listed building or within the grounds of a listed building,
  • the building has had permitted development rights waived by the local authority
  • the equipment is not installed on a wall or a roof slope which fronts a highway;
  • there is already a ground mounted system within the curtilage of the building.

As with any other structural alteration to a property, the installation of solar panels will require to comply with Building Regulations and evidence of this compliance would need to be presented to the local authority. This would normally be done by having the installation inspected by a building control officer from the local authority or a private, independent inspector, which is becoming the more popular route.

As with all building related projects, it is important to check the experience and qualifications of the contractors undertaking the work, ensuring that they are competent to do the work and have in place the appropriate insurances. A registered competent contractor, will be listed on a Competent Persons register and may be a member of an accreditation scheme, such as NICEIC, CHAS, FENSA, or RECC. As such the contractor’s accreditation would allow them to self-certify their work in installing the solar panels, without the need to go to a third party inspector.

In this instance a list of accredited contractors can be found on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) which certifies, quality assures and provides consumer protection for microgeneration installations and installers. These consist of small scale renewable electricity technologies such as solar panels, biomass, wind, heat pumps and heat products.

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