Domestic Wind Turbines - Permitted Development in Conservation Areas
In a move proposed to demonstrate the Government’s Green Credentials, a major exemption has been given to those seeking to erect domestic wind turbines or install solar panels in Conservation Areas. Whilst other land (Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, National Parks, etc.) are subject to restraint, the Government has specifically allowed micro generation in Conservation Areas – be prepared for a Localism Backlash, when the good burghers of ‘Little Nestling in the Wolds’ see what’s coming down their street though.
The amendment to Part 40 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order comes into effect on the 1st December 2011 and allows for the installation and replacement of a single wind turbine on a detached dwelling or a detached building within the curtilage of a dwelling house or a block of flats. The key restriction is that the proposed turbine must be less than 15m high or not protrude more than 3 metres above the highest part of the roof, whichever is the lesser. So there won’t be many wind turbines on detached bungalows then! Other restrictions mean that the wind turbine should not be located on safeguarded land, or within 5 metres of the boundary of the curtilage of the dwelling house or block of flats. In each case, the sweep of the blade should not exceed 3.8m2 the distance between the ground level and the lowest part of the blade will be less than 5 metres.
The new Regulations will also permit stand alone wind turbines that do not exceed 11.1m high to be installed within the curtilage of dwelling houses or block of flats (note the absence of the word detached here) where they meet similar criteria.
What is quite surprising is that although the Regulations restrict wind turbines from Article 1(5) land they specifically exclude land within a Conservation Area, where turbines can be installed providing that they are not installed on a roof slope or wall fronting a highway.
It remains to be seen how many new Microgeneration turbines come forward as a consequence of the amended Regulations.
Domestic Wind Turbines - Permitted Development in Conservation Areas
In a move proposed to demonstrate the Government’s Green Credentials, a major exemption has been given to those seeking to erect domestic wind turbines or install solar panels in Conservation Areas. Whilst other land (Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, National Parks, etc.) are subject to restraint, the Government has specifically allowed microgeneration in Conservation Areas – be prepared for a Localism Backlash, when the good burghers of ‘Little Nestling in the Wolds’ see what’s coming down their street though.
The amendment to Part 40 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order comes into effect on the 1st December 2011 and allows for the installation and replacement of a single wind turbine on a detached dwelling or a detached building within the curtilage of a dwelling house or a block of flats. The key restriction is that the proposed turbine must be less than 15m high or not protrude more than 3 metres above the highest part of the roof, whichever is the lesser. So there won’t be many wind turbines on detached bungalows then! Other restrictions mean that the wind turbine should not be located on safeguarded land, or within 5 metres of the boundary of the curtilage of the dwelling house or block of flats. In each case, the sweep of the blade should not exceed 3.8m2 the distance between the ground level and the lowest part of the blade will be less than 5 metres.
The new Regulations will also permit stand alone wind turbines that do not exceed 11.1m high to be installed within the curtilage of dwelling houses or block of flats (note the absence of the word detached here) where they meet similar criteria.
What is quite surprising is that although the Regulations restrict wind turbines from Article 1(5) land they specifically exclude land within a Conservation Area, where turbines can be installed providing that they are not installed on a roof slope or wall fronting a highway.
It remains to be seen how many new Microgeneration turbines come forward as a consequence of the amended Regulations.
Government's Housing Strategy for England: Laying the Foundations
The Government have now launched their aptly titled Housing Strategy for England, ‘Laying the Foundations’, which includes help for home buyers, help for housebuilders, improving fairness in social housing, support for the private rented sector and action on empty homes.
Most noteworthy is the Government’s support for a new 95% LTV mortgage scheme for new home buyers, which the Home Builders' Federation (HBF) deem to be ‘the key to unlocking home buyer demand’. It will offer a helping hand to 100,000 prospective buyers struggling to get on to the property ladder due to the need for large deposits. Under the new proposals, homebuyers will be able to buy any new house or flat, excluding second homes and buy-to-let, from a home builder signed up to the scheme with a 5% deposit, provided they meet the lender’s underwriting requirements. In addition, the Government will also consult on proposals to increase discounts under Right to Buy, providing an opportunity for social tenants to buy the homes they live in. The receipts from Right to Buy sales will be used to support funding for new affordable homes for rent on a ‘one for one’ basis, creating an estimated 100,000 new homes and 200,000 jobs.
There is also encouraging news for housebuilders and, in particular, affordable housing providers who will be in line to share £1.8 billion cash to develop new affordable homes. The Government aims to deliver up to 170,000 new affordable homes across the country over the next four years, with the first £1 billion worth of contracts confirmed under the Affordable Homes Programme. Support will also be given to Councils and communities seeking to deliver new, larger-scale developments that meet the growing needs of their communities. The Government will seek to provide housebuilders with greater certainty and give communities a stronger say, which will be facilitated by streamlined planning processes.
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The Government’s strategy document can be accessed from the following link:
