Church solar panels
The Queen is not the only British institution to have had difficulties with the planning process in the past few months. Christ Church United Reformed Church in Henley on Thames was denied consent to install 36 solar panels on the church roof, only receiving permission for a much smaller array on the neighbouring non-listed church hall.
Many members will already know how difficult it can be to gain approval to install renewable power, with most councils taking an extremely tough line that panels negatively impact a building’s character. While there is official guidance for installing photovoltaics on listed buildings, cases like Christ Church show that it is still unpractical for most owners.
South Oxfordshire Council, in a decision later upheld by the planning inspectorate, pointed to the planned solar array being visible from the street and that this would adversely impact the church’s character. The Christ Church congregation argued that the south elevation is to the side of the building, and could only be seen from
Newcastle grant scheme
The lack of public support is a genuine threat to listed buildings and a major challenge for their owners. There are almost no grants available to private owners from central government, but at least one council has taken matters into their own hands.
A Club member recently brought a scheme to our attention after benefiting from over £2000 of support, and of course we wanted to spread the word and applaud the council who provided it. Newcastle City Council have been
limited angles, but this was still not seen as strong enough justification.
The local synod are left uncertain if investing in a much smaller array is worth the cost, and will likely pursue other works instead. The proposed system would have been able to provide a significant amount of the church’s regular heating costs, as well the cost of running their community centre’s various activities.
This will be a story familiar to most owners. Official guidance points to buildings like Gloucester Cathedral and
Kings Cross Station as examples of listed buildings with solar installations, but even these are only on areas that are almost invisible due to their height and roof shape. For the vast majority of owners, including Henley’s United Reformed congregation, solar panels can be difficult to obtain consent for.
However, this case does show the broad desire from all kinds of owners for change, and to make their historic buildings more energy efficient.
operating a tandem grant and interest free loan scheme for the past seven years, available to bring any unoccupied homes back into use, including listed buildings.
The best part of this scheme is that it’s genuinely successful and economically viable. Providing relatively small amounts of support, averaging around £2500 per property, has allowed owners to renovate homes and encouraged buyers to take on more challenging projects. This is exactly what the Club has argued would happen if VAT relief was returned to listed buildings, and it proves that relatively modest schemes can have a major impact.
The scheme has helped put over 700 homes back into use since its inception.
While not focused on historic properties, listed buildings have the same opportunity to apply, and that is a huge opportunity. Historic buildings are at the greatest risk of being unoccupied, and cost the most to renovate, so this scheme does offer significant support to listed buildings. The Club hope to see more councils creating their own schemes to support owners.
Continued >> Listed Heritage Magazine January/February 2020 7
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