Short answer: Usually not. Roof panels on a house in Birmingham are permitted development if they stand no more than 0.2 metres proud of the roof and stay below the ridge. You need permission if the house is listed, and you should check first in one of the city's 29 conservation areas, especially the 11 with Article 4 Directions.
The rules for most Birmingham homes
Solar panels on a house are covered by permitted development, set out in Part 14 of the planning rules for England. If a job meets the conditions, you don’t need to apply for planning permission. For panels on a pitched roof, the conditions are:
- The panels stand no more than 0.2 metres beyond the roof slope.
- No part of the panels is higher than the highest part of the roof, not counting chimneys.
- The panels are sited, as far as practicable, to keep their effect on the look of the building and the area down.
- The panels are removed once they are no longer needed.
Most installs on a normal Birmingham semi or terrace meet those easily, because panels on rails sit well within 0.2 metres of the tiles and stop below the ridge.
Flat roofs, walls and garden arrays
A flat roof has its own limit. The panels, including any frame that tilts them, can stand up to 0.6 metres above the highest part of the roof, not counting chimneys. That covers most flat extensions and garage roofs.
Panels on a wall are allowed too. They can stick out no more than 0.2 metres where the wall is next to a highway, and 0.4 metres elsewhere.
A free-standing array in the garden is covered by a separate class. The array can be no more than 9 square metres, and no dimension longer than 3 metres, among other conditions. A bigger ground-mounted array needs planning permission.
Garages and outbuildings
The rules apply to “a building situated within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse”, which means a garage, shed or outbuilding in the grounds of your house. Panels on a garage roof are treated the same way as panels on the house. That is useful where the main roof faces the wrong way or is shaded, and the garage roof isn’t.
Conservation areas and Article 4 Directions
Birmingham City Council lists 29 conservation areas. Permitted development still applies in them, with one extra restriction: panels can’t go on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure that fronts a highway. Roof panels facing the street are not banned outright, but they should be sited to keep their effect on the area down.
11 of those conservation areas also have Article 4 Directions, which remove some permitted development rights so the council can control changes that would otherwise be allowed. The council’s list names them as:
| Birmingham conservation areas with Article 4 Directions | |
|---|---|
| Austin Village | Old Yardley |
| Bournville Village | St Agnes, Moseley |
| Edgbaston | Selly Park |
| Greenfield Road, Harborne | Selly Park Avenues |
| High Street, Sutton Coldfield | Moor Pool, Harborne |
| Moseley |
If your home is in one of these, ask the council’s conservation team before you commit to anything visible from the street. What each Direction covers differs from area to area, so don’t rely on a neighbour’s experience in a different area.
Listed homes
Planning law says panels are not permitted development on a listed house, or on a building in its grounds. A listed home needs a planning application, and works that affect its character also need listed building consent. Panels are more likely to be accepted where they can’t be seen from public places, for example on a rear slope or an outbuilding.
Outside Birmingham
The permitted development rules are national, but conservation areas and Article 4 Directions are set by each council. Solihull, Walsall, Tamworth and Lichfield keep their own lists, and the town pages for Solihull, Walsall, Tamworth and Lichfield cover each one.
Connecting to the grid is a separate step
Planning is not the only paperwork. Every system has to be registered with National Grid Electricity Distribution, the network operator. For a normal home system, that is a notification within 28 days of it being switched on. Larger systems need approval before they are connected. The installer normally does this, and you should get confirmation that it has been done.
Bottom line
Most Birmingham homes can have solar panels without planning permission. Check first if your home is listed, in a conservation area or under an Article 4 Direction, and ask the council before fitting anything visible from the street there. We check the planning position for every free quote. Call 0121 330 1151, 9am to 7pm, 7 days.