The UK Government has announced plans to facilitate the installation of solar panels on listed buildings, earning praise from the solar industry.
A recent review, conducted by the Departments for Energy Security, Net Zero, Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Culture, Media and Sport, explores ways to enhance energy efficiency in the 350,000 listed homes and 2.8 million properties in conservation areas.
According to the review, the current rules surrounding solar panel installations on such buildings are deemed overly complex and restrictive by Solar Energy UK.
Contributors to the review express frustration over the time-consuming process of obtaining planning permission and listed building consent, citing potential financial losses and deterrents to pursuing energy efficient home upgrades.
As it stands, certain energy upgrades necessitate planning permission, listed building consent, or neither, creating a maze of bureaucratic hurdles.
The review acknowledges the existing Listed Building Consent Orders available for alterations or extensions to listed buildings in England.
However, only Kensington and Chelsea Council has liberalised these orders for solar installations, permitting panels that don’t face roads and protrude less than 20cm from the roof.
The review recommends extending such provisions nationally, addressing the “significant variance” in how solar photovoltaic applications are handled across the country, often due to inadequate planning knowledge or practices.
Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, said: “It is plain to see that there is far too much bureaucracy getting in the way of installing solar panels and other energy upgrades, where they can be done in an appropriate and respectful fashion, on England’s older buildings.
“So I am glad to see that the government is pushing forward with making the confusing series of existing rules clearer, while easing them in the longer term.”
