Currently planning permission is not required for solar schemes of up to 50kW in size. If the move is successful it would mean that schemes 20 times this would not need planning permission in most circumstances.
STA chief executive Paul Barwell said: “We are pleased to see government is taking an important step to help deliver the strong solar PV roof-top market set out as a key objective in the Solar Strategy. We very much welcome this move. Solar power enjoys the highest levels of public support and it is an attractive addition to many warehouses, supermarkets and commercial buildings. However, the very poor levels of large roof-top deployment show that much more needs to be done to put the promised ‘rocket boosters’ under this market.
“Larger roof-top schemes still face more deployment risks than they should and they risk being deprived of resources even when they are highly cost-effective. We will continue to press DECC to comprehensively tackle the barriers to its roof-top revolution set out in its Solar Strategy.”