We want to remove the need for planning application to make it easier to install solar panels in Hammersmith & Fulham.
A new proposed order would help remove barriers and streamline the approval process, saving residents and businesses thousands of pounds and weeks of waiting time.
Residents can now have their say on the plans.
Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member on Climate Change & Ecology, said:
We want to make it as simple as possible for our residents and businesses to install solar panels. These changes would remove the financial and bureaucratic hurdles that are keeping people from making the switch to renewable energy."
What would change?
While residents can already install solar panels without planning permission in some cases, we're proposing three significant improvements:
- Larger, more powerful panels for homes: Currently, solar panels on flat roofs can only extend up to 0.6m above the surface. Our proposal would increase this to 1.0m – the same right that non-domestic buildings already have. This means residents could install larger panels that generate more renewable energy.
- Simpler process, lower costs: Instead of costly planning applications, hiring agents, and waiting weeks for approval, residents would simply need to submit basic details and give the council 28 days' notice before work begins. This removes fees of around £1,250 and cuts waiting times from 6-8 weeks.
- Solar panels for listed buildings: A separate proposal would allow solar panels on listed buildings for the first time, helping to modernise our historic properties while preserving their character.
Homes and buildings currently account for nearly 80% of the borough's carbon emissions. Despite this, H&F currently has one of the lowest uptakes of solar among London boroughs.
Transforming the way we heat and power our buildings in H&F can deliver several benefits, including reduced energy bills for residents and businesses, less reliance on the national grid and cleaner air through reduced fossil fuel use.
Have your say
Residents and businesses can have their say on the proposed changed until Thursday 20 March.
Visit our Have Your Say consultation hub to share your views.
