Planning Rules for Solar Panels Mounted on Non-Domestic Buildings

If you're planning to install solar panels on a building that isn't a home (a non-domestic property) and want it to be considered 'permitted development' – meaning you won't need full planning permission – you must adhere to all the following specific requirements and restrictions:

Meeting the Criteria

For your installation to qualify, you must ensure two key things:

• You must position the equipment, wherever possible, to significantly reduce its visual impact on both the building's outer appearance and the overall look of the surrounding neighbourhood.

• When the equipment is no longer necessary, you need to remove it promptly.

Specific Restrictions and Design Limits

• Should you mount solar panels on a wall or a sloping roof, they cannot stick out more than 200 millimetres from the surface of that wall or roof.

• If you're putting panels on a flat roof, the tallest point of your installation (chimneys are an exception) must not extend more than one metre above the highest section of that roof.

• Any equipment you install on a roof needs to be set back at least one metre from its outer edge.

• For wall-mounted equipment, ensure it is positioned at least one metre away from where that wall meets another wall or the building's roof.

• You are absolutely prohibited from installing panels on a building that is listed, on any property located within the grounds of a listed building, or on a site officially designated as a scheduled monument.

However, if you intend to install solar photovoltaic (PV) equipment on the roof that goes beyond standard microgeneration solar thermal or microgeneration solar PV systems, you will need to apply for 'Prior Approval' from your Local Planning Authority (LPA). This specific approval process, which typically takes 56 days, allows the LPA to review your proposed development's design and how it looks from the outside, paying close attention to any potential glare affecting people on neighbouring properties.

Important Consideration

Just a quick heads-up: if you happen to be a leaseholder, remember that you might also require separate permission from your landlord, the freeholder, or your property's management company before proceeding.