Installing Solar Panels on Your Roof or Wall

Thinking of putting solar panels on the roof or a wall of your house, flat, or any other building on your property? To avoid needing formal planning permission, you'll need to make sure your installation adheres to the specific requirements and limitations outlined below.

What You Need to Do (and Not Do)

To ensure your solar panel installation qualifies as 'permitted development' (meaning you don't need full planning permission), you must observe the following conditions and restrictions:

General Conditions for Your Solar Equipment

• When you position your solar equipment, ensure it blends in as much as possible, reducing any noticeable effect on your building's external appearance and the wider surroundings.

• Once the solar panels are no longer functional or required, you must remove them promptly.

• If your plans involve fitting solar equipment onto a flat roof within a designated area (we'll explain what 'designated area' means shortly), you are required to seek prior approval from your local council's planning department. This means asking for permission before you start the work.

Specific Size and Location Limits

• On a Pitched Roof: Your solar panels must not extend above the highest point of your roof (excluding any chimney). Additionally, they can't stick out by more than 200mm from the surface of the roof slope or the wall.

• On a Flat Roof: The tallest part of your solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment must not be more than 600mm above the highest section of the roof itself (again, not counting the chimney).

• Specific Location Prohibitions: You are not permitted to install solar panels on any building located within the curtilage (grounds) of a listed building, nor on a site officially recognised as a scheduled monument.

• In Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites: Should your property be situated within a conservation area or a World Heritage Site, you are explicitly prevented from attaching solar panels to any wall that directly faces a public road or highway.

What exactly counts as a 'designated area'? This term refers to several protected locations, including National Parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), conservation areas, and World Heritage Sites.

Important Note for Leaseholders: If you own your property under a lease, it's possible you'll need to secure additional consent from your landlord, the freeholder, or your property management company before proceeding with any installation.