Draft Local Listed Building Consent Order - Solar Panels

Overview

Local Listed Building Consent Orders (LLBCOs) are a legal measure which allows the Council to grant listed building consent for alterations to more than one listed building, including groups of listed buildings in all or part of the borough, or buildings of a particular description. This is a pro-active and blanket grant of listed building consent, which means that owners of those listed buildings specified in the Order will not have to make individual applications, but will be able to proceed with the works, provided they  comply with any conditions that may be attached to the Order.

The Council wishes to create a LLBCO to allow the installation of solar PV panels on Grade II and most Grade II* buildings to give a very clear signal to residents and businesses that we take seriously the need to drive down carbon use and are prepared to be proactive in achieving this.  This could encourage more building owners to act proactively too, rather than being deterred by the consent process.  The draft Order contains conditions to ensure that panels are sensitively designed and positioned on the building so that they would not have a harmful visual effect on the building itself or the wider area. 

This Order will be of most benefit in respect of residential buildings where the installation of solar equipment is permitted development and does not therefore require planning permission, even on listed buildings, subject to conditions which are reflected in the Order.  For non-domestic listed buildings, planning permission would still be required, but listed building consent would not.  The LLBCO would therefore be meaningful in taking away most of the statutory restraints to installing solar panels, while retaining control over important aspects of their appearance and siting.

The draft Order in this consultation sets out more information about the buildings to which this consent would apply, and a list of conditions that would need to be complied with.  It also incudes a  ‘statement of reasons’, which sets out our assessment of the likely effect of the proposed works on the special architectural or historic interest of the listed buildings to which the Order would relate, and a reasoned justification for making the Order.  The Order is proposed to last for 5 years at the outset, and may be extended if is is successful.  

To view the relevant material and give your views, follow the link at the bottom of this page.

This consultation will run from Wednesday 19 January to  Friday 25 February 2022.

If you have any queries, require a paper copy of the background information or require assistance in other languages, please contact the Planning Team using the contact details in the 'Contact' section of this page.