Planning rules eased on Scots rooftop solar

Rooftops solar panels no longer need planning permission in Scotland as part of a wider easing on restrictions on installing low carbon generation north of the border.

The Scottish Government’s overhaul of permitted development rights (PDRs), enabling householders and businesses to sidestep full-scale planning permission for low carbon generation, is now in force.

Previous PDR rules stipulated a 50kw upper limit for permitted rights for rooftop solar on domestic and non-domestic buildings, above which full planning permission was required.

The new rules, which bring Scotland in line with moves to reform the English PDR regime, mean that those wanting to install rooftop solar panels will no longer have to secure permission to do so.

The only restrictions to the PDR will be if the panels protrude more than 1m from the building that they are fixed onto.

PDRs will also not apply to listed buildings or within World Heritage Sites.

This means that even solar in Scottish conservation areas can be permitted development as long as it meets certain circumstances, such as not facing the street.

The new rules also allow up to 12m2 of free-standing solar panels to be permitted within the grounds of non-domestic buildings without requiring planning permission.

Solar Energy Scotland said that the industry would continue dialogue with the Scottish Government on whether the potential curtilage limit could be extended.

And restrictions on solar canopies have been relaxed, removing the requirement that their primary purpose should be to power electric vehicle chargers.

Thomas McMillan, chair of Solar Energy Scotland, said that simplifying the rooftop installation planning process will make a “substantial difference” to hopes of delivering 6GW of solar north of the border by 2030.

“With energy costs continuing to be stubbornly high, solar remains one of the most effective ways of reducing the charges of running residential and commercial buildings: this change by the Scottish government makes the process of installing solar quicker and easier and is warmly welcomed.”