Solar panels under PD. Proper job!

156 Solar Panels under Schedule 2, Pt 14, Class J of the GPDO down in Wiltshire...

Class J allows solar equipment to be installed on non-domestic buildings without the need for a full planning application, provided certain technical limits are met. In this case the panels sit neatly within the roof plane, respect the required setbacks from the roof edges, and comply with the conditions set out in the legislation. Once those parameters are satisfied, the proposal can proceed through the prior approval process rather than a full planning application.

The outcome is simple but worthwhile. A rural building now carries a substantial solar array generating renewable electricity, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions without altering the character of the building or its surroundings.

It is also a useful reminder that the planning system does occasionally do exactly what it is meant to do: quietly enabling sensible improvements where the rules already allow them. Sometimes the most effective planning work is simply knowing the GPDO well enough to use it properly.