113 Verulam Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4DL

fitting of solar panels to south (rear) pitched roof. Panels to be rack mounted and include 9 panels

Authority: St Albans City Council
Appeal type: householder · Householder (HAS)
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: utilities-energy · Householder developments
Inspector: Catcheside E

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposed development would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the St Albans Conservation Area, having particular regard to the status of the appeal property as a locally listed building

What decided it

The visual harm to the Conservation Area and locally listed building caused by the modern, reflective appearance of the solar panels would not be outweighed by the modest public benefits of carbon reduction.

Framework references: 199, 202, 158

Plan policies cited: Policy 85, Policy 69, Policy 87, Policy 72

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

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What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.
- Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
- Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
- Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
- Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.
Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.
Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.
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