Amendments to Class A of Part 14 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 came into force on 27 August 2026, made by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/896)1. Class A covers the installation, alteration or replacement of microgeneration solar PV or solar thermal equipment on a dwellinghouse, a block of flats, or a building within the curtilage of either1.
The 2026 Order substituted paragraph A.1, omitted a word in paragraph A.1(1)(d), substituted paragraph A.1(1)(e), inserted paragraph A.1(1)(f) on plug-in solar on timber, and inserted paragraph A.1(2) on dwellinghouses1. Paragraph A.1(1) now carries the heading "Development not permitted: block of flats", and the new paragraph A.1(2) carries the heading "Development not permitted: dwellinghouse"2.
The new dwellinghouse provisions set out separate limits. On a wall, solar equipment must not protrude more than 0.2 metres beyond the plane of the wall where the wall abuts on a highway, or more than 0.4 metres in any other case2. On a balcony enclosure or roof enclosure, the same 0.2 metre and 0.4 metre figures apply2. On a pitched roof, equipment must not protrude more than 0.2 metres beyond the roof slope, and the highest part of the equipment must not be higher than the highest part of the roof, excluding any chimney2. On a flat roof, the highest part of the equipment must not be more than 0.6 metres higher than the highest part of the roof, excluding any chimney2.
The new plug-in solar restriction appears in both the block of flats and dwellinghouse provisions. For a block of flats, development is not permitted where any part of the plug-in solar would be installed on a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure, or on any part of the exterior of a block of flats which is clad in timber2. For a dwellinghouse, the equivalent restriction applies to a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure, or any part of the exterior of a dwellinghouse clad in timber2. Class B, which covers stand-alone solar within the curtilage, also now provides that development is not permitted in the case of plug-in solar where any part would be installed on a wooden fence, gate, wall or other means of enclosure2.
The substituted paragraph A.1(1)(e) provides that development is not permitted on a block of flats, or a building within its curtilage, if the block of flats is a listed building2. The omitted word in paragraph A.1(1)(d) was the final "or" following the scheduled monument provision, reflecting the addition of the new sub-paragraphs2.
"in the case of plug-in solar, where any part of the plug-in solar would be installed on a wooden wall, balcony or enclosure or on any part of the exterior of a dwellinghouse where that part is clad in timber"
| Provision | Limit |
|---|---|
| Wall abutting a highway | 0.2 metres protrusion |
| Wall, other cases | 0.4 metres protrusion |
| Balcony or roof enclosure abutting a highway | 0.2 metres protrusion |
| Balcony or roof enclosure, other cases | 0.4 metres protrusion |
| Pitched roof | 0.2 metres protrusion; not higher than the roof |
| Flat roof | 0.6 metres above the highest part of the roof |
Why it matters for households
Class A permitted development rights allow certain solar installations without a planning application, so the limits in paragraph A.1 determine when a householder can proceed under permitted development and when a local planning authority application is needed. The new paragraph A.1(2) separates the rules for dwellinghouses from those for blocks of flats, which previously sat together in a single paragraph2. The protrusion limits for walls and enclosures, and the 0.6 metre flat roof limit, are now stated in the dwellinghouse provision rather than being read across from the block of flats provision2.
The plug-in solar restriction is the first provision in Class A to name plug-in solar specifically. It means that a plug-in panel mounted on a timber wall, balcony or enclosure, or on a timber-clad part of a dwellinghouse exterior, falls outside permitted development under Class A2. Class B applies the same approach to a wooden fence, gate, wall or other means of enclosure for stand-alone solar2.
Other constraints remain. Development is not permitted on a site designated as a scheduled monument, or on a dwellinghouse that is a listed building2. In a conservation area or World Heritage Site, equipment must not be installed on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure which fronts a highway2. Conditions require equipment to be sited so far as practicable to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building and on the amenity of the area, and to be removed as soon as reasonably practicable when no longer needed2. On flat roofs on article 2(3) land, the developer must apply to the local planning authority for a determination on whether prior approval is required2.
What happens next
The amendments came into force on 27 August 20261. No further commencement dates are given in the sources.
Sources4 cited
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, legislation.gov.uk
- [](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/part/14/data.xht), legislation.gov.uk
- [](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/part/14/data.xml), legislation.gov.uk
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, legislation.gov.uk