Solar Panels on Listed Buildings

Léonie Cooper AM proposed, and Tony Devenish AM seconded, the following motion:

“This Assembly notes the positive step that the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) Council has taken in becoming the first local authority in the country to allow solar PV panels to be installed on Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings. This has huge potential to generate clean energy to help London reach Net Zero. The borough has 4,000 buildings that are listed, 70% of which are in Conservation Areas.

We further note the Council’s consultation on Local Listed Building Consent Order for Solar Panels received a positive response from individual residents, local conservation groups, residents’ associations and the Historic Houses Association. We hope this level of support would be replicated in other boroughs. This policy will also benefit staff, as residents just complete a simple application, thus freeing up Heritage Officers’ time to be spent on more complex cases. An annual monitoring report will ensure progress can be monitored.

This Assembly calls on other London boroughs to pass a similar Local Listed Buildings Consent Order, so that listed buildings in their areas can install solar panels without a planning application.

We also call on the Mayor to:

1. Join our call to the boroughs and encourage them and London Councils to make this policy change;
2. Create a London Plan Guidance document to assist boroughs in encouraging more uptake of renewable energy sources, such as solar panels;
3. Collate the data from each borough’s annual monitoring reports to ensure there is a city-wide picture of how this policy is having an impact.

If other boroughs follow the RBKC lead, this Assembly believes London can make significant progress in helping to generate clean electricity to help with London’s transition to Net Zero.”

Following debate and upon being put to the vote, the motion in the name of
Léonie Cooper AM was agreed unanimously.