Businesses will be allowed to install up to 4,000 solar panels on their rooftops without requiring planning permission under major government changes due to be confirmed today by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.
Current permitted development regulations mean that commercial properties must obtain planning permission for rooftop solar arrays larger than 50kW, equal to 200 panels.
Pickles is today expected to lay a Written Ministerial Statement before parliament that will raise that threshold twentyfold to 1MW. The move is part of the government's drive to encourage the uptake of commercial rooftop solar panels.
The decision was welcomed by Nina Skorupska, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association, who predicted that relaxing the planning regulations would "lift the shackles" from the solar sector and help a wide range of businesses to install solar rooftop arrays.
"We are delighted with today's announcement which will make it much easier for factories, farms, hospitals, bus stations and other commercial buildings to generate their own sustainable electricity while also saving themselves money and resources," she said in a statement.
"Solar installed on commercial buildings has the potential to generate significant amounts of clean electricity, yet it is a considerably underdeveloped area, and the rigidity of the planning system has long been a major barrier to its progress."
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