Micro Generation and Permitted
Development - Oct. 1st 2008.
The governments quest for lowering the carbon
footprint within the UK is partly centred on giving
greater freedoms for homeowners to install energy
producing or saving equipment on or within their
property. Microgeneration for each property or
smaller community is seen as one solution and allowing
this under permitted development is meant to take the
control of what you can install out of the Planners
hands.
So, will microgeneration of energy producing
equipment installed under permitted development be the
answer? I think not.
So what are the conditions
for installing such equipment under permitted development?
A.2. Development is permitted by Class A
subject to the following conditions:-
(a) solar PV or solar thermal equipment installed on a building
shall, so far as
practicable, be sited so as to minimise its effect on the
external appearance of the
building;
(b) solar PV or solar thermal equipment shall, so far as
practicable, be sited so as to
minimise its effect on the amenity of the area; and
(c) solar PV or solar thermal equipment no longer needed for
microgeneration shall be
removed as soon as reasonably practicable.
From 6 April 2008, you will no longer need
to apply to your local authority for planning permission to add
certain "green" energy producing microgeneration technology to
residential premises.
This is because domestic microgeneration technologies
is included as permitted developments under the General
Permitted Development Order (GPDO).
The GPDO grants householders permitted development
rights to alter or extend their home in certain restricted
circumstances as long as they meet defined conditions.
However, as always with government legislation its full of
restrictive claw back clauses that would then require formal
Planning Consent being obtained with the usual neighbour
consultation issues where, in most cases, the application will
be refused.
Download a pdf
guide for householder microgeneration...
Changes to Permitted Development Rights for
Householder Microgeneration: Impact Assessment
Microgeneration is the small-scale
production of heat and/or electricity from low carbon sources.
Some microgeneration technologies produce energy using
renewable resources such as solar, wind or biomass - eg wood -
and some, like combined heat and power (CHP), may use fossil
fuels.
The new rules will permit the installation of the following
domestic microgeneration equipment where the intended
installation meets the conditions set out in the GPDO:
- solar thermal or solar photovoltaic systems
equipment
- water and ground source heat pumps
- biomass - eg from virgin wood, recycled wood or waste
from municipal and commercial sources
- combined heat and power
The changes cover installation on a dwelling house and in
gardens. Dwelling houses include buildings which consist wholly
of flats, or which are used for the purposes of a dwelling
house. It is interesting to note that for the first time
flats have been considered as having some form of permitted
development rights.
Permitted development rights will not apply immediately to
wind turbines and air source as further work is being carried
out on the potential impact of noise and vibration on
neighbours.
You will have to comply with the conditions set out for that
type of technology. For example, you will have to make sure
that solar panels do not protrude more than 200 millimetres
beyond the plane of the wall or the roof slope when measured
according to the guidelines.
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