Solar In Conservation Area

[bighouseproblems]

Hi All,

 

I am in the process of putting together a project plan to renovate our house. As part of it I am strongly considering a Solar Array on a south facing roof. This roof faces a highway in a conservation area. It must be noted a property close by has solar and falls within the conservation area also. 

 

My main question is how much hassle is it putting a planning application together. I have a thousand different things to work on to do with the project itself, I am wondering whether a planning consultancy would make my life much easier. 

 

Thanks In advance for any advice. 

[Conor]

You'd just need a streetscape type drawing and some photos and a brief design and access statement. By default, you can't have PV panels on the street side in a conservation area. You should preempt the visual impact by using an in-roof tray system and giving example photos. That's how we did it and it didn't even raise any questions.

[Redbeard]

Planning Portal says this:

 

"

All the following limits must be met:

• Panels should not be installed above the highest part of the roof (excluding the chimney) and should project no more than 200mm from the roof slope or wall surface.
• The panels must not be installed on a building that is within the grounds of a listed building or on a site designated as a scheduled monument.
• If your property is in a conservation area, or in a World Heritage Site, panels must not be fitted to **a wall** which fronts a highway." (My emphasis).

This seems to me to imply that they are (may be) PD on a **roof** fronting a highway. This apparently does not stop my LA discouraging  PV on the front of properties in conservation areas. I am sure this will hinge on individual interpretations of 'so far as is practicable' (below). My memory says that some years ago PD rules *did not* allow PV on front roofs in CAs but as far as I remember that changed (probably somewhere around 2010) to the current position.

 

See GPDO Part 14 A.1 and A.2.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/made

Conditions

A.2  Development is permitted by Class A subject to the following conditions—

(a)solar PV or solar thermal equipment is, so far as practicable, sited so as to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building;

(b)solar PV or solar thermal equipment is, so far as practicable, sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area; and

(c)solar PV or solar thermal equipment is removed as soon as reasonably practicable when no longer needed.

 

[Redbeard]

@Conor posted while I was writing mine, but I wonder if PD regs in NI are different to the mainland and still refer to PV on 'roofs' in CAs?