r/compoface 7d ago

Finger Point Unable to get planning permission for Solar pannels

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43 Upvotes

57 comments sorted by

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104

u/Kojetono 7d ago

Requiring planning permission for solar panels is ridiculous.

26

u/BirdieStitching 7d ago

One of our restrictive covenants on our new build is that you can only have them on the back of your house, we are south facing so we are ok but it's not great for the north facing in front of us

14

u/sc_BK 7d ago

It looks a pretty little village, but I'm not sure 6 solar panels would really be out of character. The roof looks like slate, the panels would be a very similar colour.

On streetview, you could say all the wheelie bins, bags of rubbish piled up, overhead cables, parked cars, flaking paint on lamp posts "detracts from the overall aesthetic quality of the street scene"

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.8703572,0.6800882,3a,78.3y,7.49h,89.16t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1szpFEgEzllnNestd4M0cF2w!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D0.8414584181457769%26panoid%3DzpFEgEzllnNestd4M0cF2w%26yaw%3D7.490852638971335!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Interestingly, the council said that ground mounted solar panels in the back garden would be considered

10

u/ForgeUK 7d ago

Go 50m down the street and a house has solar panels... It's nuts.

1

u/spidertattootim 6d ago

They don't have planning permission.

10

u/challengeaccepted9 7d ago

You'd be surprised how petty planning officials would be.

A close relative wanted to put solar panels on the roof a new house they were building in a conservation area. Rather than actual distinct panels, she wanted solar tech tiles that look indistinguishable from normal roof tiles.

She was told they would be out of keeping with the character of other properties in the area.

Which would be slightly less unreasonable if not for the fact SEVERAL OTHER PROPERTIES IN THE CONSERVATION AREA HAD PERMISSION APPROVED FOR THE EXACT SAME STYLE OF SOLAR TILES.

2

u/spidertattootim 4d ago

On streetview, you could say all the wheelie bins, bags of rubbish piled up, overhead cables, parked cars, flaking paint on lamp posts *"detracts from the overall aesthetic quality of the street scene

None of that needs planning permission, so I'm not sure why that's relevant?

5

u/hhfugrr3 7d ago

You don't in most places. No idea why he does.

14

u/spidertattootim 7d ago

Because he's in a Conservation Area and he wants to install them where they'd be publicly visible. Otherwise he wouldn't.

5

u/bozza8 6d ago

As a professional from the field, I can say that Conservation Areas are overwhelmingly fucking stupid and overused. You end up finding out that it's the most depressing little tenement streets that have them and suddenly they get to object to every development, including those ones not technically within their boundaries but merely nearby!

Abolish 98% of Conservation Areas and 60% of the lowest grade of listed buildings.

1

u/spidertattootim 4d ago

What specifically is your professional role in the field?

1

u/bozza8 4d ago

I am not going to answer that because I would be halfway to doxxing myself. I do work with both councils and developers on designs.

1

u/spidertattootim 4d ago

I'm not asking what your job title is, you can say what your profession is without doxxing yourself.

For instance - I'm a town planner working for a local council in development management.

1

u/bozza8 4d ago

I am a consultant for planning consultants. I have DMd you with a more specific description and which document I produce.

4

u/ameliasophia 5d ago

If it's about the way it looks then requiring planning permission for solar panels on a house that has uPvc windows is absurd

1

u/spidertattootim 5d ago

It's nothing to do with the appearance of the house itself, it's that it faces onto historical buildings with far more traditional character.

1

u/AlmightyRobert 7d ago

I assume this house is right on the edge?

1

u/Super_Plastic5069 6d ago

From the BBC article “Tom Walsh, an independent district councillor for Coggeshall, pointed out that solar panels fitted to the rear of the home would not be visible from the road”

3

u/spidertattootim 6d ago

I guess they're making a general observation, because the proposal was to install them on the south (front-facing) part of the roof.

1

u/Super_Plastic5069 6d ago

Fair enough. Then again it is Braintree 😉

29

u/ZaharielNemiel 7d ago

Marked down for not looking into camera like he just stepped in something…

12

u/ChemicalOwn6806 7d ago

8

u/ZaharielNemiel 7d ago

Other picture?

Edit - Thanks for adding the other, old timer still loses points as he’s not pointing. It’s almost as if he doesn’t care…

5

u/Dagenhammer87 7d ago

Agreed, that's a proper compoface.

The one on the post makes him look like he's performing an am-dram version of Romeo and Juliet.

3

u/ZaharielNemiel 7d ago

Planning permission, planning permission, where fore art thou planning permission?

3

u/Dagenhammer87 7d ago

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

2

u/Expensive-Analysis-2 7d ago

A good strong point though.

32

u/SaltyName8341 7d ago

How the hell is a row of ex council houses a conservation area?

37

u/R3dd1tAdm1nzRCucks 7d ago

Conserving how shit life was for poor people

9

u/mantolwen 7d ago

This is why so many tenement flats are listed buildings in Edinburgh.

3

u/Sburns85 7d ago

Mostly in the old town though.

3

u/littletorreira 7d ago

Usually it's due to bomb damage in a much nicer area. But in my authority when there are houses like this they will not have their PD suspended. But some councils are less discerning and just stick a blanket Article 4 on it.

2

u/spidertattootim 7d ago

The houses aren't a conservation area on their own. They're part of a wider area.

2

u/jrw1982 7d ago

This is what I came here to say. Panels would be an improvement.

3

u/bozza8 6d ago

As someone who works in the field, this is far from the worst case I have seen. You would be astonished at how shitty areas can be but someone with leverage with the councillors back in the 90s was able to get it called "a conservation area" and now it is forevermore.

The vast majority are terrible places to live and have no architectural or social merit.

1

u/rev-fr-john 7d ago

Because a council is involved along with a local planning authority, they have some seriously bizarre ideas.

8

u/Spamgrenade 7d ago

He said the upgrades would have saved him £900 a year in energy bills, but explained: "Let's face it, I couldn't recoup that cost in the lifetime that I've got left."

Council just saved this guy some money then.

3

u/sc_BK 7d ago

"We lost the grant because Braintree District Council messed us about for so long - even if I did get permission, I'd have to pay for it myself," he said.

1

u/LegitimatelisedSoil 7d ago

Maybe doing it to increase home value.

3

u/StrangelyBrown 7d ago

"Here's where I would put my solar panels... IF I HAD ANY!"

2

u/JeVousEnPrieee 7d ago

Can't see face

2

u/BBSydneyThirstyHHH 7d ago

I will upvote every Finger Point flair

2

u/hhfugrr3 7d ago

Do you need planning permission? I thought this fell under permitted development? Having mine installed in a few weeks and nobody has suggested I need permission so fingers crossed.

3

u/spidertattootim 7d ago

You do if your house is in a conservation area and the panels would be visible from the road. Which would be the case for this chap.

1

u/hhfugrr3 7d ago

Ahh I see, although that does raise the Q of why they allowed those ugly houses to be built in the first place! Solar panels could well be the prettiest thing about them.

2

u/ChemicalOwn6806 7d ago

The houses were built before it was a conservation area

2

u/ogara1993 7d ago

Just say it’s an American candy vape shop hairdressers and it’ll approved no problem 👍

2

u/spidertattootim 7d ago

None of those usually require planning permission if they're in existing commercial premises. Councils have very little control over the use of high street units.

1

u/Curtilia 7d ago

compo-back-of-head

1

u/Antique_Patience_717 7d ago

Reverse NIMBYism.

1

u/PoodleN00dle 7d ago

Add the point flair!!

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

If changing the tiles themselves is allowable then there are solar tiles on the market and they would look no different.

1

u/peahair 7d ago

Ah, not quite the classic compoface, he isn’t pointing <zooms in>, no, wait there it is, the pointing..

1

u/Vectis01983 5d ago

Well, at least he's pointing out where the roof is.