Do I need planning permission for Solar Panels

[Heather]

I've seen a lot of people locally who now have Solar panels, thinking it may be something worth doing, but do I need planning permission for them?  I would hate to install them and then find out I needed permission first

[Luke Bainbridge]

It will depend on a lot of things, and I have found an article that seems to help put some of those thoughts into words:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generating-energy/Choosing-a-renewable-technology/Solar-panels-PV/Choosing-a-site-and-getting-planning-permission

Have a read, and see what you think about it. You do need to make sure that it is definitely the right choice for you, obviously, because the last thing that you want to do is to make a mistake and then get into trouble about it.

[eygsolar]

You can contact your council to see whether you need to apply for planning permission for your solar panel but you rarely need planning permission for most domestic solar panels. There are exceptions to this for listed buildings, buildings in conservation areas and world heritage sites.

[TechforEnergy]

The National and Local guidelines for installing solar panels state that they are a permitted development for almost everyone, provided they :

1/ Are installed within 200mm of the roofs surface
2/ Are installed below the ridge line of the roof
3/ Are installed as sympathetically as possible to the local amenities
4/ Are removed as soon as practically possible when no longer of use (e.g. after 50 years or so)

Exceptions are for listed buildings and some conservation areas where installed on vertical walls, facing the street = highly unusual !!