Many people are told that a conservation area rules out solar. It usually does not. A listed building is a different matter, and so is a flat roof on protected land.
This guide sets out what the law says, in the words of the law. The rules sit in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14. Class A covers equipment on a building. Class B covers stand alone panels in the garden. The projection and height limits that apply to every roof are in roof suitability by roof type, so this page covers only what changes when the building is listed or the land is protected.
Key Points
- A conservation area does not stop panels on a roof slope. The condition it adds is about a wall, a balcony enclosure or a roof enclosure fronting a highway.
- Class A does not apply at all if the dwellinghouse is a listed building.
- Listed building consent is a separate approval from planning permission, under a different Act.
- For a flat roof on protected land you must first ask the council whether its prior approval is needed, before work starts.
- Garden panels have their own limits, including a 9 square metre cap on panel area.
- An article 4 direction can remove permitted development rights in a defined area.
- In the South Downs National Park the National Park Authority is the planning authority.
- We advise at survey and handle any council submissions on your behalf.
Common Misconceptions
"Panels are banned in conservation areas." They are not. The order names a wall, a balcony enclosure or a roof enclosure fronting a highway.
"A conservation area and a listed building are the same thing." One is an area, the other is a building. Class A survives the first and is switched off by the second.
"A listed building just needs planning permission." It needs listed building consent, and sometimes planning permission too.
"Only the front of my house is listed." Listing covers the whole building. The rear roof slope is still part of a listed building.
Real-World Advice
Our published work includes installations in Lewes, Eastbourne, Hastings and St Leonards on Sea. See our work. None of those case studies records the property as listed or as being in a conservation area, so we do not claim any of them as an example here.
What the published set does show is the shape of the problem. The design starts from the usable area left once the sensitive elevations are taken out, and that arithmetic is the same whether the constraint is a dormer or a designation.
UK-Specific Considerations
What Class A excludes
Class A permits solar equipment on a dwellinghouse, on a block of flats, and on a building within the curtilage of either. Since 27 August 2026 the order gives a house its own list of what is not permitted, at paragraph A.1(2), with a separate list for a block of flats at A.1(1). Three items on the house list matter here.
| Sub paragraph | What it says |
|---|---|
| A.1(2)(e) | "in the case of land within a conservation area or which is a World Heritage Site, the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure which fronts a highway" |
| A.1(2)(f) | "the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a site designated as a scheduled monument" |
| A.1(2)(g) | "the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a dwellinghouse, or on a building within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse, if the dwellinghouse is a listed building" |
Read (e) carefully. It names a wall, a balcony enclosure and a roof enclosure, and only where that surface fronts a highway. It does not mention the roof slope.
Flat roofs on protected land
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2023 added condition A.2(ba) in December 2023. Where the equipment goes on a flat roof on article 2(3) land, the developer must apply to the council "for a determination as to whether the prior approval of the local planning authority will be required with respect to the impact of the appearance of the solar PV or solar thermal equipment on that land", before beginning development.
Article 2(3) land is defined in Schedule 1, Part 1 of the order. It includes conservation areas, National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, the Broads and World Heritage Sites.
Listed buildings
If the house is listed, Class A gives you nothing, so you apply. You also need listed building consent, which comes from a different Act. Section 7 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 says: "No person shall execute or cause to be executed any works for the demolition of a listed building or for its alteration or extension in any manner which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest, unless the works are authorised under section 8."
So "planning permission" is the wrong phrase for a listed building. The consent you need is listed building consent, and sometimes planning permission as well.
Panels in the garden, and article 4 directions
Class B covers panels on a frame in the curtilage. It is not permitted if any part "would be installed within the curtilage of a listed building", or if the panel surface area "would exceed 9 square metres". Heights are capped by a table, with a lower cap in a conservation area where the unit sits nearer to a highway than the house does.
The 2026 amendment also added a step for garden panels on protected land: where they would sit within 5 metres of the boundary of the garden, you must first ask the council whether its prior approval is needed. The same amendment lets a project that was permitted under the old rules go ahead under them until 26 August 2027.
Article 4 of the order lets a council direct that a described type of development "should not be carried out unless permission is granted". Directions are local, so the only reliable check is with the council covering the address.
The South Downs National Park
Inside the National Park the South Downs National Park Authority is the local planning authority. Its Small Scale Renewable Energy Technical Advice Note, version 1.1 updated December 2025, says at paragraph 5.5 that several of the Part 14 permitted development rights "do not apply to Listed Buildings or land / buildings within their curtilage", that "listed building consent is likely required for any alterations", and that "Applicants should seek tailored advice for proposals affecting heritage assets". It is also positive about roofs: "Sensitively designed schemes for roof top Solar Panels are likely to be suitable in most areas."
The local picture in East Sussex
| Area | Conservation areas on the government planning data service | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Eastbourne Borough Council | 12, including Old Town and Meads | Solar in Eastbourne |
| Hastings Borough Council | 18, the first of which is Old Town | Solar in Hastings |
| Lewes District Council | 28 | Solar in Lewes |
The Eastbourne and Lewes counts come from the government's planning data service, which holds only what each council has published to it, so the council's own list may be longer. The Hastings list is the council's own, running from Conservation Area 01, Old Town, to Conservation Area 18, Ore Place. The National Park boundary on the same service covers the town of Lewes and the western edge of Eastbourne, so one address can sit inside the Park while a neighbouring one does not.
When This Isn't Right For You
The building is listed and consent has not been granted. Class A does not cover it, so the work would be unauthorised.
The only usable surface is a wall, a balcony enclosure or a roof enclosure fronting a highway in a conservation area or World Heritage Site. That surface sits outside Class A.
An article 4 direction has removed the rights, in which case permitted development is not available whatever the roof looks like.
Before You Spend Money
Find out whether the building is listed, and at what grade. This is a matter of public record.
Find out whether the address is in a conservation area, whether an article 4 direction covers it, and whether it is inside the South Downs National Park.
Ask your installer to put the route in writing: permitted development, prior approval, planning permission, listed building consent, or a combination.
Ask what happens to the quote and the timeline if consent is refused, and do not order equipment until the consent position is settled. If you want us to look at it, start at solar installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I put solar panels on a listed building?
A: Sometimes, but never under permitted development. Class A does not apply where the dwellinghouse is listed, so you apply, and you also need listed building consent under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
Q: Does a conservation area stop me putting panels on my roof?
A: No. The condition in the order concerns a wall, a balcony enclosure or a roof enclosure fronting a highway. Panels on a roof slope are not named in it.
Q: I have a flat roof in a conservation area. What is different?
A: Before work begins you must apply to the council for a determination as to whether prior approval is required for the appearance of the equipment.
Q: Do you handle the paperwork?
A: Yes. We advise at survey and handle any council submissions on your behalf.
Summary
Conservation area status is not a ban. The order excludes a wall, a balcony enclosure or a roof enclosure fronting a highway, and, for a flat roof on protected land, makes you ask the council first whether prior approval is needed. A listed building is the real dividing line, because Class A does not apply to it at all, and the approval you need is listed building consent. Garden panels have their own limits, including 9 square metres of panel area, and an article 4 direction can remove the rights anywhere. Check the designation of your address first, then choose the route, then order the equipment.