Solar panels in Broadstairs conservation areas and on listed properties, and the Thanet DC route to actually installing them.
Broadstairs is one of the sunniest towns in the UK, sitting on a south-east-facing chalk headland that reliably logs over 1,700 hours of sunshine a year. Rooftop solar is a genuinely good idea here. It is also a permitting decision more than a technical one, because a large share of the town's houseable roof area sits inside one of two conservation areas administered by Thanet District Council, and a smaller but visible share sits on listed buildings where a separate consent regime applies.
This guide covers the routes I actually walk with Broadstairs owners: what is permitted development, what is not, where Article 4 directions bite, how listing changes the conversation, and how the DNO G98 or G99 notification lands separately from the planning decision.
The two Broadstairs conservation areas.
Thanet District Council administers two conservation areas that cover the majority of central Broadstairs and St Peter's:
- Broadstairs Town Conservation Area - covers the historic seafront core, the streets running back from Viking Bay to the railway station, Albion Street, Harbour Street, Chandos Square, Charlotte Street. Designated to protect the Georgian, Regency and Victorian character of the town centre.
- St Peter's Conservation Area - covers the historic core of St Peter's village on the west side, including the parish church and the older streets around it. Designated separately to protect the pre-suburban village character.
Both are Thanet DC's responsibility. Neither is administered by Historic England directly, though HE guidance informs Thanet's approach. If your address sits in either, the base rules change even for otherwise-permitted works.
Permitted development for solar: the default rule.
Class A of Schedule 2 Part 14 of the GPDO 2015 allows solar PV to be installed as permitted development on a dwellinghouse subject to conditions:
- Panels must not protrude more than 200mm from the roof slope.
- Panels must not be installed on a wall fronting a highway if the property is in a conservation area or a World Heritage Site.
- Panels must not be higher than the highest part of the roof (excluding the chimney).
- Wall-mounted PV on the principal or side elevation fronting a highway is not permitted development in a CA.
- PV cannot be installed at all under Class A on a listed building - a listed building always needs listed-building consent, and normally planning permission too.
The consequence for Broadstairs: roof-mounted PV on the rear elevation of a CA property is normally permitted development. Roof-mounted PV on the front elevation (facing the street), or wall-mounted PV on any street-facing elevation, is not, and needs a planning application.
Where Article 4 changes the picture.
Article 4 directions remove specified permitted-development rights within a defined area. Thanet DC has Article 4 directions in a handful of the most sensitive pockets of central Broadstairs and St Peter's. Where Article 4 applies to Class A works, the exemption falls away and even a rear-slope PV install needs planning permission. It is a short check on the Thanet DC planning map, and I do it before quoting.
Listed properties: LBC first, planning second.
Broadstairs has a decent number of Grade II listed properties, particularly the Regency and early Victorian seafront villas, some of the older cottages off Harbour Street, and a scatter of chapels and civic buildings. Listing is a Historic England register but the consent regime is administered by Thanet DC.
For solar on a listed building the answer is:
- Listed Building Consent is always required for any alteration that affects character. Solar panels count, always.
- Planning permission is usually also required, because permitted development under Class A does not apply.
- Historic England guidance (Solar PV: Advice for Owners and Managers, 2018 with 2022 update) supports sensitive PV installations on listed buildings where the visual impact is minimised. Rear-facing, matched-colour panels on outbuildings or on lower roof slopes not visible from the principal viewpoints are the ones that get approved.
Thanet DC's Conservation Officer is the person to talk to first. Preliminary conversations at the pre-application stage are informal, free, and save weeks. I ask owners to send the address to Thanet planning and get a preliminary steer before any panels are specified.
The DNO route: G98 vs G99.
Separate from planning, every solar PV connection to the grid requires notification to the DNO. UK Power Networks is the DNO for Kent, including Broadstairs. Two thresholds:
- G98 - fit-and-notify, up to 3.68kW per phase (16A). Single-phase Broadstairs domestic installs almost always fall here. Notification within 28 days of commissioning is enough; no pre-approval needed.
- G99 - apply-and-connect, above 3.68kW per phase. Application must be submitted and approval received before commissioning. UKPN typically responds within 45 working days. This is where a 6-8kW single-phase system, or any three-phase system, sits.
A typical Broadstairs Victorian terrace roof supports 3-4kW of panels comfortably (10-14 panels of 300-400W each) and lands squarely in G98 territory. A larger detached property with a 6-8kW system needs G99 and the application goes in as soon as the system is specified, in parallel with the planning route, so the two consents land around the same time.
MCS, SEG and getting paid for what you export.
The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) replaced the Feed-in Tariff in 2020. Under SEG, licensed electricity suppliers pay for each kWh of solar power exported to the grid. Rates vary by supplier and change; at time of writing, competitive tariffs sit around 15p/kWh for export.
To claim SEG the installation must be certified under the MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme), which requires an MCS-registered installer and MCS-certified equipment. This is not a legal requirement to install PV - you can fit solar without MCS and it will still work - but you cannot claim SEG payments without it. On a Broadstairs domestic install, MCS is worth the cost of the certification (folded into the system quote).
The order of operations for a Broadstairs solar job.
- Roof and address survey. Confirm CA / Article 4 / listed status, roof orientation, slope, area, structure, and shading. Broadstairs headland roofs shade less than the average town, but chimneys and adjacent taller houses matter.
- Preliminary Thanet DC conversation if inside a CA or on a listed building. Get informal steer before committing to a design.
- System sizing. Constrained by roof area, DNO threshold and consumption. Around 4kW is the sweet spot for a Broadstairs 3-bed with a rear roof slope of 25-40 square metres.
- Planning or LBC application if needed. Panel colour, layout and edge detail all matter here; Thanet's Conservation Officer will comment on any of them.
- DNO G98 or G99 notification. G99 in parallel with planning; G98 after commissioning.
- MCS install. Panels, inverter, isolators, generation meter, AC and DC RCDs, all to BS 7671 Section 712. Full IET-code compliant labelling on the CU.
- Commissioning, MCS certificate issued, DNO notified (G98) or acknowledged (G99).
- SEG application to your chosen electricity supplier.
The Broadstairs owners who do best on solar are the ones who accept the permit route is the pacing constraint, not the electrics. A rear-slope PV job on a St Peter's semi outside the CA is a two-day install. The same job on a Chandos Square villa inside the CA with an Article 4 direction is a six-month project with a two-day install at the end.
Battery storage: where the numbers actually work.
The economic case for solar on a Broadstairs roof, at current UK electricity prices, is strong: a 4kW system generates roughly 3,600-3,900kWh a year on the CT10 headland, of which around 40% will be self-consumed by an average household. Adding a home battery (5-10kWh, typically) shifts self-consumption to 70-80% and is the difference between a 9-11 year payback (PV only) and a 6-8 year payback (PV plus battery).
Battery installs fall under BS 7671 Section 712 alongside the PV. Location matters: batteries want a cool, dry, ventilated space, ideally in the garage or a utility room, never in a loft on a south-facing Broadstairs roof where summer temperatures run high.
Thinking about solar on a Broadstairs roof?
Send me the address and a photo of the roof if you have one at hello@broadstairselectrical.co.uk or WhatsApp 07763 100 477. I will confirm the CA, Article 4 and listing status, tell you whether the roof is suitable, and set out the timeline honestly before any survey fee. Contact me.
Sources: Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 14 Class A; Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990; Historic England, Solar PV: Advice for Owners and Managers (2018, updated 2022); Thanet District Council conservation area appraisals; ENA Engineering Recommendations G98 and G99; MCS Installation Standard MIS 3002; BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 Section 712. Work carried out to BS 7671 and notified under Part P via a competent-person scheme.