Policy - Solar PV - Wales - General Guidance

Welsh Local Council Development Policies

Welsh County Councils do not have individual policies regarding the installation of solar PV systems. Planning policies for welsh councils are, instead, outlined in the government's planning portal page. Separate planning policies exist for solar panels mounted on a house or on a building within the grounds of a house and for stand alone panel installations, which can be found at: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/solarpanels/. A summary of those policies are listed below:

Solar panels mounted on a house or on a building within the grounds of a house:

Siting/Planning Requirements - (i) 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. (ii) The panels must not be installed on a building that is within the grounds of a listed building. (iii) The panels must not be installed on a site designated as a scheduled monument. - (i) 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. (ii) The panels must not be installed on a building that is within the grounds of a listed building. (iii) The panels must not be installed on a site designated as a scheduled monument.

Environmental Impacts 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.

Aesthetic Impacts (i) Panels on a building should be sited, so far as is practible, to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building and the amenity of the area. (ii) When no longer needed for microgeneration panels should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.

Stand alone panel installations:

Siting/Planning Requirements - (i) Only the first stand alone solar installation will be permitted development. Further installations will require planning permission. (ii) No part of the installation should be higher than four metres. (iii) The installation should be at least 5m from the boundary of the property. (iv) The size of the array should be no more than 9 square metres or 3m wide by 3m deep. (v) Panels should not be installed within boundary of a listed building or a scheduled monument.

Environmental Impacts If your property is in a conservation area, or in a World Heritage Site, no part of the solar installation should be nearer to any highway bonding the house than the part of the house that is nearest to that highway.

Aesthetic Impacts (i) Panels on a building should be sited, so far as is practible, to minimise the effect on the external appearance of the building and the amenity of the area. (ii) When no longer needed for microgeneration panels should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable.