More homes and businesses in Kensington and Chelsea could be powered by renewable energy, with proposals to make installing solar panels easier. Much of the borough is within conservation areas and there are 4,000 listed buildings in Kensington and Chelsea. Currently all listed buildings need to apply for individual listed building consent and some require planning permission too if they want to instal solar panels. Now the Council is the first in the country to consult on a new planning order, which would give consent for solar panels on most Grade II and some Grade II* listed buildings without the need for individual listed building consent. If the building is residential, planning permission is already not needed, so installing solar panels will be much simpler in future. There will be conditions about the positioning, materials and fixings that can be used, in order to protect the appearance and fabric of listed buildings.
RBKC 21st Jan 2022 read more »