Planning
Plug-in solar relies on the existing permitted development rights for microgeneration solar PV. Those rights changed on the same day the product became legal.
5.1The basis
An installation is legally possible without planning permission if it meets the requirements of the existing permitted development rights for microgeneration solar PV. If it does not meet them, a planning application is required. DESNZ has said the fees and administrative burden may be high relative to the cost of the device.
So "no planning permission needed" is not always true. It depends on meeting those conditions.
5.2The instrument itself
The change was made by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026, SI 2026 No. 896. Made 29 July 2026, laid 30 July 2026, in force 27 August 2026, the same day as SI 2026/848.
It amends Class A, installation or alteration of solar equipment on domestic premises, and Class B, stand-alone solar equipment on domestic premises, both in Schedule 2 Part 14 of the 2015 Order.
5.2aHow planning law defines plug-in solar
"plug-in solar" means solar photovoltaics that are intended for connection to the relevant domestic premises' electricity installation by means of a standard plug and socket
It has no power limit and no VA figure. It does not refer to the product specification. The planning test looks at how the device connects, through a standard plug and socket. The size of the device does not matter for this test. So a device can sit outside the 800 VA product class and still count as plug-in solar under this Order. The two definitions are different, and should not be treated as the same thing.
5.2bThe transitional period
A 12 month transitional period runs until 27 August 2027. During this period, you may follow either the rules that stood immediately before 27 August 2026, or the new rules.
5.3The wooden surface exclusion
The Planning Portal sets out two lists of conditions, one for houses and one for blocks of flats. Both lists include the same entry. Installation on a wooden wall, a balcony or timber cladding is prohibited, and this entry is marked as applying to plug-in solar.
Many plug-in solar devices are marketed as balcony panels. Where that balcony is timber or timber clad, this permitted development right does not apply.
5.4England, the new limits
| Case | Limit |
|---|---|
| House, surface abutting a highway | Projection not more than 200 mm |
| House, other surfaces | Projection not more than 400 mm |
| Pitched roof | Below the highest part of the roof, projection not more than 200 mm |
| Flat roof | Not more than 600 mm above the roof |
| Conservation areas and World Heritage Sites | Not on a wall fronting a highway |
| Wooden walls, balconies, timber cladding | Not permitted, plug-in solar |
| Listed buildings, scheduled monuments | Not permitted development. Consent required |
Source: Planning Portal
5.5Wales differs
| Case | Wales | England |
|---|---|---|
| Flat roof, projection | Not more than 1 m above the roof plane | Not more than 600 mm |
| Flat roof, edge | Not within 1 m of the roof edge | Not stated in the same terms |
| Standalone panels | One only. 4 m high, or 2 m within 5 m of a boundary. No closer than 5 m to the highway. 3 m maximum dimension, 9 square metres maximum | Separate provisions |
| Flats | Guidance advises contacting the local planning authority | Specific conditions apply |
| Plug-in solar specifically | Not addressed | Addressed, see 5.3 |
There is no Welsh equivalent of the wooden surface exclusion and no equivalent 27 August change in the published guidance. This reference does not infer that England's rules apply in Wales.
Source: gov.wales
5.6Leasehold and tenancy
Planning permission and permission from a freeholder or landlord are separate questions. Consultation respondents raised the need for renters and leaseholders to seek landlord or freeholder consent, and noted that leasehold restrictions and building management considerations may limit uptake. A lease may prohibit an installation that planning law permits.