Rooftop solar prior approval, done in days.
Prior approval for commercial rooftop solar over 50kW in England, made easy. Send us the address, roof photos and system size. We do the rest, from £395 ex VAT.
Quicker than full planning. Easy to get wrong.
Rooftop solar over 50kW on a business or farm building in England needs prior approval from the local planning authority before work starts.
- Start without it and the local planning authority can take enforcement action, after the panels are up.
- Miss one limit (panel height, distance from the roof edge, a listed building or conservation area) and permitted development doesn’t apply. You need full planning permission instead.
- An incomplete application can be returned as invalid, costing weeks while your installer waits.
- Glare is what the local planning authority looks at. A weak statement invites questions, conditions or a refusal.
We check your building first, then prepare an application that’s complete and right the first time.
What we do.
Easy for you. Send us three things, then we do the rest and deal with the local planning authority for you.
- An eligibility check against the permitted development limits. If your building doesn’t qualify, we tell you before you pay for anything else.
- A location plan and a roof layout drawing.
- A short design and glare statement.
- Submission through the Planning Portal.
- Follow-up with the local planning authority until you have a decision.
Led by our in-house Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI).
Fixed prices.
Sent in within 5 working days of receiving your details.
- Standard: £395 ex VAT. One building, submitted within 5 working days.
- Express: £595 ex VAT. Submitted within 48 hours, for jobs with a start date.
- Installer bundle: £1,650 ex VAT for 5 sites. For installers with a pipeline of commercial roofs.
- Glare statement add-on: £150 ex VAT. For roofs close to homes, roads or railways.
The local planning authority’s application fee is extra and paid at cost. See all our fixed planning and grid fees.
All we need from you.
That’s it. No forms to fill in, no calls to chase.
- The site address and a few photos of the roof.
- The panel layout, or the system size in kWp.
- Panel and mounting datasheets.
The rules.
These apply in England. Wales and Scotland have their own rules.
- On a pitched roof, panels can’t stick out more than 0.2 metres.
- On a flat roof, they can’t be more than 1 metre above the highest part of the roof.
- They must be at least 1 metre from the edge of the roof.
- Listed buildings, buildings in their grounds and scheduled monuments need full planning permission.
- Conservation areas and World Heritage Sites have extra limits, for example on roof slopes facing a road.
Not sure? We check this first, as part of the service. Full guide: commercial rooftop solar prior approval.
For installers.
Stop losing days to paperwork.
Send us your commercial jobs and we’ll handle prior approval while your team gets on with installs. The installer bundle covers 5 sites at a fixed price.
Prior approval questions
Do I need planning permission for solar on a commercial roof?
In England, usually not full planning permission, but over 50kW you must apply to the local planning authority for prior approval before work starts. Miss a limit, or a listed building or conservation area, and full permission is needed instead.
Is there a size limit?
No. The 1MW limit on non-domestic rooftop solar was removed in December 2023.
How long does prior approval take?
The local planning authority has 56 days to decide a valid application. An incomplete one can be returned, which adds weeks. That is why we check everything before submitting.
What if my building is listed?
Listed buildings need full planning permission instead. We tell you the right route and can quote for it.
Do you cover Wales and Scotland?
Not for this service. It covers England only, where these permitted development rules apply.
Get your rooftop solar moving.
Send us the address and system size. We'll reply within one working day with a fixed price.