Appeal 3335847

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for the installation of 2 x [name] on Storage/[name] at [site address] [site address] , Sandown in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref. 23/01444/HOU, dated 14 August 2023 and subject to the following conditions:

The development to which this permission relates shall be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this Decision;

The development shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: OS based Location Plan; [name]. VH/001 [name], with the clarification that the angle of the solar panels relative to the flat roof shall not exceed 30 degrees.

The main issue is the effect of the proposed solar panels on the character and appearance of the host dwelling and the street scene of [site address] .

The appeal scheme relates to two solar panels that would be positioned on an outbuilding roof towards the rear of the bungalow. These would be raised at an angle from the roof and the appellant has confirmed that this would be reduced from 50 to 30 degrees, albeit the Council was not prepared to accept this as a formal amendment during the processing of the application.

I saw on my visit that in the street scene of this part of the Crescent the eye is drawn to the solar panels on the front and left side roof planes of the dwelling. There are also solar panels on other bungalows in the Crescent. The existing panels are prominent and in my view to some degree detract from the Appeal Decision Ref. APP/P2114/D/23/3335847 appearance of the building, as indeed is the case with the innumerable other examples throughout the country.

With that said, the energy savings achieved are consistent with national policy to counter climate change and the Council has raised no issues as regards the presence of the panels. Given this context of extensive solar panels on the roof I consider that the two additional raised panels at the rear of the outbuilding at the amended reduced angle of 30 degrees would not be especially prominent in views from the road. And even if they are noticed, I am of the view that the solar panels are not of a size or design to be perceived as jarring to the appearance of the bungalow or this part of the street scene.

As in my view there would be no materially harmful conflict with Policy DM2 of the Island Plan Core Strategy 2012 or with Government policy in Section 12: ‘[name] and [name] of the National Planning Policy Framework (as revised December 2023) I shall allow the appeal.

A condition requiring the development to be carried out with the approved plans with the caveat that the angle of the panels shall not exceed 30 degrees will ensure a certainty as to the content of the approval and is in the interests of proper planning.