Solar Panels (also known as Photovoltaics) are seen as a sustainable option for powering your home. They are usually installed on a roof, though they can also be fixed to a wall, or as a ground-mounted, standalone installation. Installing solar panels lets you use free, renewable, clean electricity to power your appliances. As Bath is a World Heritage Centre with around 5,000 Listed Buildings, installations on Listed Buildings will need Listed Building Approval. Nevertheless, data obtained from the National Grid indicates that there are currently 66 Domestic Solar Panel installations across the Widcombe & Lyncombe area. This is an increase of 12% over the last year, since June 2024. Also, this number includes 3 Listed Building installations. The simple map below gives an indication as to where these local installations are.
When looking to install Solar Panels on Listed Buildings Households must apply for Planning Permission/Listed Building Approval. For more information about this requirement, check this B&NES Council webpage.
Go Green Widcombe have also compiled a report to show the number of Listed Buildings across the whole of B&NES that have applied for permission to install Solar Panels, and how many actual installations have been carried out. The research is limited because it is based on searching for “Key Words” such as “Solar Panels”, “Solar PV” or “Photovoltaic” using B&NES Council’s “Advanced Search” option, on their Planning Applications Advanced Search webpage, and Go Green Widcombe learnt, from the Council, that results for the “Key Words” will only appear if the Applicants included these “Key Words” in their Application Proposal Summary. Here is a link to the Report that Go Green Widcombe have prepared about the number of Listed Building Planning Applications for Solar Panels that have been Approved and Installed .
A key thing when considering installing Solar Panels on Listed Buildings is the “visual impact”. Below are photos obtained from the B&NES Council that show examples of Listed Buildings with Approved Solar Panel Installations. The typical location is inside a double pitched roof… this ensures that visibility of the panels is minimised.
