Homes and businesses will be able to install rooftop solar panels
more easily, under new rules announced today.
Changes to permitted development rights rules will mean more
homeowners and businesses will be able to install solar panels on
their roofs without going through the planning system.
Currently those who have to go through the planning system are
having to wait over eight weeks and face extra costs.
The move will encourage more people to install solar panels on
their properties, slashing their energy bills in the process and
cutting down on harmful emissions.
Housing and Planning Minister said:
We must make sure our homes are fit for the future and can help
us meet our net zero ambitions.
By cutting red-tape in the planning system we can make sure
homeowners and businesses can install solar panels without being
held up by costly delays. Crucially, these permitted development
rights are still subject to important conditions, including their
use in conservation areas.
Energy Security and Net Zero Minister said:
Today we are cutting through red tape to make it easier for
businesses to install solar panels on their rooftops.
Removing the 1MW restriction for industrial rooftop solar will
help us meet our target of 70GW of solar power by 2035 while
supporting hundreds of long-term skilled British jobs, bolstering
our world-leading renewables sector and reducing bills for
consumers with panels.
The changes will mean homes with flat roofs will be able to
install panels without planning permission, bringing rules in
line with those for businesses.
Current rules that require businesses to apply for planning
permission if solar panels will generate more than one megawatt
of electricity will also be scrapped, meaning organisations will
be able to install more solar panels on rooftops without the
delay and cost of applying for planning permission.
The Government is clear that where possible already developed
land should be used for solar panels, which is why the changes
will make it easier for panels to be installed in canopies above
car parks, if they are over ten meters away from people’s homes.
The changes to permitted development rights build on government
action to speed up the planning system and slash bureaucracy, as
set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act which is now
law.
These measures also support ambitions set out in the British
Energy Security Strategy published by government last year –
taking the necessary steps to combat climate change and bring
greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
