Planning rules for solar panels in Southport

Permitted development, in brief

The national planning order grants householders the right to fit solar panels without applying, under Schedule 2, Part 14, Class A, as rewritten by a statutory instrument that took effect on 27 August 2026. For panels on a pitched roof the conditions are:

• no part of the panels may stand more than 0.2 m beyond the surface of the roof slope;
• they may not rise above the highest part of the roof, not counting the chimney;
• they must be sited, so far as practicable, to minimise their effect on the appearance of the building and the amenity of the area;
• they must be removed as soon as reasonably practicable when no longer needed.

The roof planner's layouts all keep below the ridge and inside the roof's edges, so they sit within the first two conditions as long as the mounting kit holds the panels close to the slope, as standard kits do.

Where it changes

Our summary of Part 14, Classes A and B, as amended by SI 2026/896, read on 3 November 2026. An Article 4 direction can take these rights away in a defined area; see conservation areas.

Listed buildings

Permitted development does not cover a listed building or anything within its curtilage. Fitting panels needs planning permission and listed building consent from Sefton Council, and doing the work without consent is a criminal offence, whoever does it. Sefton has about 560 listed buildings, and by our count of Historic England's open data 271 list entries lie inside the Southport built-up area, 32 of them with a verandah named in the listing. If you are not sure whether your house is listed, search the National Heritage List for England before you ask for quotes; installers will not always know.

Plug-in panels and garden arrays

Since 27 August 2026, plug-in solar devices of up to 800 watts can be connected through an ordinary socket, which opens solar to people without a usable roof, such as many flat owners. They must not be fixed to a wooden fence, gate, wall or other garden enclosure. Free-standing ground arrays in a house's garden are permitted development up to 9 m² in total, with height limits that depend on how close they are to the boundary and the road.

Flats and shared buildings

Class A covers blocks of flats as well as houses, so the planning limits above usually apply to a block too. The bigger question for a flat is consent: whoever controls the roof, usually the freeholder or a management company, has to agree, and the lease will say who may alter the roof and who owns what is fixed to it. Southport has many villas converted into flats; see flats.

Building regulations

Planning and building regulations are separate. The roof must carry the extra load, and the electrical work must comply and be certified. An MCS-certified installer deals with both and gives you the certificates; if you use a firm that does not, you would have to involve building control yourself.

Being certain

1. Check whether the house is listed, and whether it is inside a conservation area or an Article 4 area.
2. If none of those applies and the panels go on the roof within the limits above, there is nothing to apply for.
3. If you want it in writing, for a future sale for instance, apply to Sefton Council for a lawful development certificate.
4. If the house is listed, or the panels would face a road in a conservation area, talk to the council's planning service before you get quotes.

Read on

• Southport's conservation areas
• Victorian and Edwardian homes
• Flats
• Roof planner

Sources for this page

1. GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14 (solar permitted development)
2. SI 2026/896: changes to solar permitted development from 27 August 2026
3. SI 2026/848: plug-in solar devices
4. Historic England: search the National Heritage List for England
5. Historic England: National Heritage List for England open data (listed buildings)
6. Sefton Council: conservation and heritage
7. Sefton Council: conservation areas
8. Planning data platform (MHCLG): conservation areas and listed buildings