Solar panel guidance

Guidance on applying for a Certificate of Lawfulness to establish if planning permission is required

Placing solar panels on the roof of your house or flat, or a building within the grounds of your house or flat, is considered in most cases ‘permitted development’ whether your home is in a conservation area or otherwise. See further information in the Planning Portal website in common projects: Solar panels planning permission 

This means that in general there is no need to seek planning permission from St Albans City and District Council to proceed, subject to certain conditions.

Solar panels are permitted development if all the following conditions are met:

• Equipment on a building should be sited, so far as is practicable, to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building and the amenity of the area.
• When no longer needed equipment should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.
• If solar equipment is to be installed on a flat roof on Article 2(3)* land then the developer must apply to the local planning authority for prior approval.
  * Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites.

The following limits must also be met:

• On a pitched roof, 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.
• On a flat roof the highest part of the solar PV equipment cannot be more than 600mm higher than the highest part of the roof (excluding chimney).
• 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.

Note: If you are a leaseholder you may need to get permission from your landlord, freeholder or management company.

It is recognised that the requirement for the equipment to be sited as far as practicable to minimise the effect of it upon the external appearance of the building and the amenity area is subjective. As such there may be situations where the installation of the solar panels does not meet this requirement. 

If the solar panels do not meet these requirements then planning permission will be required. As such the following guidance is provided to assist applicants.

Guidance how to meet the following requirement:

Equipment on a building should be sited, so far as is practicable, to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building and the amenity of the area.

The following should be considered when designing a scheme to ensure it minimise the effect on the building and the amenity of the area:

• We would always encourage people to site panels on the roof slope not facing a road or which is not highly visible from public vantage points, which is normally the rear roof slope or on a rear flat roof, recognising that this is not always possible.  
• You are advised to demonstrate (for example by way of information in relation to required consumption) that the minimum number of panels, in the least conspicuous area, are proposed for the dwelling. This will enable us to establish whether the equipment has been sited as far as practicable to minimise the impact on the amenity of the area and the external appearance of the building.
• We would encourage equipment to be sited so as to minimise its appearance.
• Some panels are more visually intrusive than others, so we would also encourage you to try to source panels that are less conspicuous (colour and metal stripping are particularly noticeable).   

We do suggest that a Certificate of Lawfulness is submitted for a formal determination as to whether planning permission is required.

Additionally, if your house is located within an Article 4 direction area which restricts permitted development rights, you may need planning permission to make any alterations to the roof regardless of the above. You can check Article 4 directions here: Find out if your home is covered by an Article 4 direction.

If, after following this guidance, you believe that planning permission is not required you are advised to apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness for a formal determination that planning permission is not required before carrying out any work: Application forms and validation checklists

When do you need to apply for prior approval for solar panel installations in Conservation Areas 

Installation or alteration of solar equipment on domestic premises

A prior approval application is only required where the solar equipment would be installed on the flat roof of a building in the following areas: a conservation area; an area of outstanding natural beauty; an area specified by the Secretary of State for the purposes of enhancement and protection of the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside; the Broads; a National Park; a World Heritage Site.

Installation or alteration etc of stand-alone solar equipment on domestic premises

A prior approval application is only required where the stand-alone solar equipment would be placed between the building and a highway, in a conservation area.

Prior approval can be applied for here: Application forms and validation checklists 

Should Prior Approval not be approved then planning permission will be required. 

Applying for planning permission for solar panel installations in Conservation Areas and  Article 4 Direction areas

This guidance aims to help those residents who are considering installing solar panels within parts of the St Albans Conservation Area that are subject to an Article 4 Direction and / or within a Conservation Area.
It is important to note that within an Article 4 Direction Area, planning permission is required to install solar panels in all instances. 

Details on how to apply can be found here: Apply for planning permission online.

A Conservation Area is designated because of its special architectural or historic interest. Any proposals within designated areas are required to ensure that new development would preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the designated heritage asset and its setting.

Please note: this guidance relates only to buildings that are not statutory listed, for which other rules apply.

Slate roofs

A general approach for slate roofs which are visible from the public realm is that panels that are slate-like in appearance will normally be required. 

For roofs which are to the rear of buildings but visible from the public realm (eg.anywhere a member of the public can walk), care should be taken to ensure proposals for panels are well designed to ensure that the character and appearance of the conservation area is preserved. 

All black ‘in-roof’ solar panel solutions may be suitable for concrete roofs and rack-mounted solutions may be suitable for modern flat roofs.

A greater degree of flexibility may be afforded to the rear of buildings or to roofs which are not visible from the public realm (eg all black in-roof or rack mounted solutions) however proposals for solar panels should still be well-designed to ensure that the character and appearance of the conservation area is preserved.

Tile roofs

For properties with roof tiles, a well-designed in-roof solution may be supported within some street scenes and for red clay tile roofs it may be possible to support matching red in-roof panels. However these situations would be assessed on a case by case basis. 

Where a property is surrounded by Listed Buildings or a street is afforded a significant historic view, in-roof solutions may be not suitable even where the existing roof tiles are concrete.

Other considerations

Care should be taken to ensure any cabling/associated paraphernalia is discreetly located e.g. behind rainwater pipes/boxing at ground floor level).

The minimum surface area of panels necessary for them to operate varies with panel type; small roofs may not be suitable, especially for slate-like panels. Expert guidance should be sought from solar panel vendors on technical suitability.

The acceptability of a proposal will be judged based on the individual site characteristics. However you are advised to consider the below when designing your scheme:

• Is the equipment sited in a prominent location, if so can a less prominent location be used? E.g. the rear roof slope, not the front.
• If the site is in a sensitive location, such as a Conservation Area / Article 4 Direction, and if the equipment is visible / prominent is the minimum amount of equipment to serve the needs of the dwelling proposed?  If not, can a reduced amount be provided.
• Are there any benefits of the proposal that can be taken into account.
• Is the equipment conspicuous, could it be less so?