Planning rules could be relaxed to encourage renewable energy

Thursday 11 November 2021

The States' committee in charge of planning wants to make it easier for changes to be made to homes and properties without requiring planning permission.

The Development & Planning Authority is proposing a raft of new exemptions from the planning process - including making it easier to install solar panels and electric vehicle charging points. The DPA's proposals will now be debated and voted on by the States' Assembly.

There are currently 64 exemptions from planning sitting within 12 categories or use classes. Now the DPA wants to add a further 40 exemptions. 

If the States approve the DPA's proposals, planning permission will no longer be required for removing a hedge within the curtilage of a house, demolishing or rebuilding a chimney, taking a property out of multiple occupation, installing a flue or air source heat pump or applying external insulating render, as long as the changes meet certain requirements.

The full list of proposed changes can be found HERE. 

The proposals are being put forward after extensive consultation with industry, the parishes and States' committees. 

Pictured: A table in the DPA's policy letter to the States' Assembly explains how it wants to expand the list of exemptions from planning to make it easier for property owners to install solar energy equipment.  

Several of the proposed changes are aimed at encouraging the island's transition to renewable forms of energy.

Under the proposals, an existing exemption on residential properties which allows solar panels to be installed without planning permission would be extended to permit more than one of the same product to be installed. And clarification would be provided to allow solar panels to be installed without planning permission on ancillary buildings and outbuildings. 

Other changes for which permission would no longer be required include the installation of energy storage units as long as they could not be viewed from the road, electric car charging points and bike storage units built within the boundary of a property as long as they meet certain size restrictions.

Pictured: Deputy Victoria Oliver, the President of the Development & Planning Authority, who will try to lead the proposed changes through the States' Assembly when they are debated, which may be early in the New Year. 

The DPA is also recommending a new class of exemptions which would allow owners of flats greater freedom to make changes to their properties without having to submit planning applications. These changes would include the installation of solar panels, energy storage units, electric car charging points and storage for electric bikes. The same exemptions are proposed for non-domestic properties.

Great piece of work from the DPA on exemptions. Two fold actually, at domestic and hospitality level. If the hotel is out of use, change the use. It's not hard

— tothevale (@tothevale) November 10, 2021

Pictured: The President of Economic Development, Deputy Neil Inder, has welcomed the proposals, which include relaxations on the development of some derelict hotels.

“The Authority thought it necessary to broaden the exemptions relating to energy and solar products to encourage sustainable development," said the DPA in its policy letter, which the States' Assembly will now schedule for debate at a meeting in the near future. 

“The amendments will also result in a reduction of planning applications required in circumstances where they would have been likely to be approved by the Authority under the current policy direction.

“Not only will this improve the customer experience but enable the Planning Service to be more efficient and direct more resource into service improvements and delivery.”