Solar Planning Laws Change
I have been handing out plenty of environmental brickbats to Government Ministers so it is really pleasant to award an environmental bouquet to Caroline Flint, who is the Planning Minister and another to Malcolm Wicks, who is the Energy Minister.
They have instituted changes to the planning rules which will make planning permission for home solar thermal installations unnecessary from 1st April in most cases.Provided that panels do not protrude more than 200mm from the roof, householders will not have to suffer the expense and delay of applying for planning permission.
The original proposal was that panels should not protrude more than 150mm, (which would have suited Genersys with its slimmer less obstrusive panels|), but lobbying by the solar trade has increased tthis by 50mm.
Genersys panels protrude less than 150mm, so even fitted on the roof appear to be part of the roof when seen from the ground. We also have panels that can be easily be fitted “in roof”, rather like a roof window, to have a better aesthetic appearance.If you wanted to cover a roof with solar panels to support central solar heating you can now do so without planning. In roof panels also have a better performance as they are not affected by cold winds passing under the panels.
This planning reform will make a difference, saving householders the delay, expense and hassle of applying for planning permission. In most cases they will not even have to make a call to the planning authority to check the position, although the exemption does not apply to those who live in listed buildings
This will help solar thermal make an even larger contribution to saving greenhouse gas emissions. Well done Ms Flint and Mr Wicks.
Filed under: carbon emissions, climate change, energy, genersys, global warming, law, malcolm wicks, microgeneration | Tagged: caroline flint, planning permission for solar, planning rules for solar, solar central heating
