EspañolPlanning Application for Solar Panels Service
Often, your installation will be covered under permitted development, meaning you won’t have to complete a planning application for solar panels. However, you must follow the development rules. If you do need to go through the local authority, the planning process can be a nightmare if it’s your first time. Why not let our experienced team at Xerogrid take the hassle away from you?
Through our planning application for solar panels service, we will:
- Review and advise on validation probability
- Work closely with you and the local authority to ensure a smooth process
- Prepare a clear and justified planning statement
- Complete site, block, location and elevation plans
- Fill all application forms and act as an agent on your behalf
- Attend pre- application meetings
- Deal with Planning Officers’ enquiries
- Prepare for, and attend, planning committee meetings
Often, you won’t need planning permission.
If you are installing solar on a pitched roof, as long as the panels are at least 20cm from the external edge of the roof and do not go higher than the top of the roof, they are covered under permitted development and do not need planning permission. This rule is in place to prevent dangerous uplift in windy conditions.
If you’re installing solar on a flat roof, it must be at least one metre from any external edge and not protrude higher than one metre from the highest point of the roof to be covered under permitted development.
Ground-mounted arrays (in gardens, etc), can be up to 9m squared under permitted development. In reality, this is only around 3 or 4 panels, so you’ll probably need to obtain planning permission for ground-mounts.
You can have up to one wind turbine per property under permitted development, but the rules are challenging to follow for many property owners: The turbine can be a maximum of 3 metres above the top of the roof (excluding chimneys) or 15 metres high in total, whichever is lower. It also cannot be less than 5 metres from any boundary.
You will also need planning permission for any renewable technology installed at a listed building or in a conservation area.
There are lots of aspects that will affect the cost and complexity of a planning application, such as the type of renewable technology being installed, the equipment used, the local authority involved and the area of land covered.
Please contact us so we can offer you a very reasonable quote for our services. We can offer excellent discounts if you plan to choose us for your equipment supply and/or installation, too.
In terms of the actual application fee, these are set costs, which can be found here on page 4 (erections/alterations/replacement of plant and machinery). They are based on site area (the area that the renewable technology, its cable runs and any plant room or appliances takes up) in hectares. These fees are additional to our service fees.
Typically, it will take six to eight weeks from submission to approval, provided everything goes smoothly. If your local authority is particularly busy, it may take up to thirteen weeks.
