Article 4 Directions and Solar Panels in London: Borough List

Most Article 4 directions in London do not affect solar panels. A council can only take away the permitted development rights a direction actually lists, and most London directions were written to control windows, doors, front boundaries and roofing materials. A small number do remove the right to fit solar panels without planning permission. We have read them, and they are listed below by borough.

If your street is not on the list, that is a good sign but not a guarantee. Councils make new directions and replace old ones, and we check the position for every address before we quote.

Key points

• An Article 4 direction removes only the rights it names. Check for Part 14 Class A of the 2015 order, or Part 40 Class A in older directions written under the 1995 order.

• Householders only gained permitted development rights for solar in 2008. A direction made before then cannot have taken them away.

• Our reading found solar-removing directions in eight London boroughs: Brent, Croydon, Ealing, Hackney, Haringey, Lewisham, Newham and Redbridge. Several apply only to particular roof slopes or elevations.

• Camden's solar controls in Belsize and South Hampstead were dropped in June 2026. Older guidance that says otherwise is out of date.

• Many directions that leave solar alone still control re-roofing, which matters if your roof needs work before the panels go on.

Why most Article 4 directions do not affect solar

On an ordinary house, solar panels on a roof slope are normally permitted development, even in a conservation area. In a conservation area the national restriction applies to panels on a wall fronting a highway, not to a roof slope, as long as the panels sit no more than 0.2 m proud of the roof and below the ridge. Since 27 August 2026, a flat roof in a conservation area needs a short prior approval application first. Our guide to planning permission for solar panels in London explains the full national position, including listed buildings and flats.

An Article 4 direction lets a council remove specific permitted development rights in a defined area. It removes only the classes it lists. When you read one, two things decide whether it touches solar:

• The date. Householder rights for solar were introduced in 2008. A direction made before then was written before those rights existed, so it cannot have removed them.

• The classes listed. Under the current 2015 order, solar on a house is Part 14 Class A. Directions made under the older 1995 order call it Part 40 Class A. If neither appears, the direction does not affect householder solar.

London Article 4 directions that remove solar rights

These are the directions we have read that remove the householder right to fit solar. Where a direction applies only to certain elevations, the last column says so.

Where a direction covers a whole conservation area, it may still exclude some properties, and where it lists addresses, only those addresses are affected. Brent made directions in the same format for several other conservation areas at the same time, so if you live in a Brent conservation area we check the wording for your street.

Recently changed: Camden

Until June 2026, Camden's Article 4 directions for Belsize, Hampstead and South Hampstead (formerly Swiss Cottage) brought solar panels under planning control, and much of the guidance online still says so. Those directions were replaced on 9 June 2026. We read the new directions for Belsize and South Hampstead, and they no longer include solar. The Hampstead directions were replaced on the same date, and we check the current wording for any Hampstead address.

The new Camden directions still control other changes to street-facing roof slopes, including re-roofing in a different material, so roofing work before solar can still need permission. See our Camden borough page for the detail.

Directions that sound relevant but do not cover solar

Several recent London directions control roofs or the look of a street without touching solar. Among those we have read:

• Barnet: Totteridge Village (2008).

• Ealing: Bedford Park (2008) and Hanger Hill (2011).

• Enfield: Grange Park, Meadway and The Crescent (2008), Abbotshall (2009) and Enfield Town (2018).

• Bromley: Petts Wood (2022) and The Chenies (2012).

• Hackney: De Beauvoir and St Mark's (2008).

• Lambeth: Streatham Lodge Estate (2010).

• Lewisham: Telegraph Hill (2008), Ladywell (2010) and Lewisham Park (2019).

• Newham: Durham Road (2017).

• Southwark: Great North Wood (2025).

Some boroughs have also said in their own guidance that none of their directions affect solar. Richmond upon Thames states this on its solar page, and Islington says its directions affect windows and external insulation only.

The catch is the roof itself. Many of these directions control roof alterations or a change of roofing material on slopes facing the street. If your roof needs replacing before panels go on, the roofing work may need permission even though the solar does not. Our guide on whether you need a new roof before solar explains how to plan for that.

Where we have not finished checking

We would rather say what we have not verified than imply the list is complete. At the time of writing:

• Hillingdon, Havering and Sutton: we have relied on council summaries, not the direction documents themselves.

• Barking and Dagenham: new directions for the Becontree estate are due to come into force on 19 November 2026 if confirmed.

• Merton: a direction for part of the Wandle Valley is shown only as a proposal.

• Lambeth: we have not been able to confirm the date or wording of the Vauxhall direction.

For any address in these areas, we read the direction that applies before we quote.

If your street is covered

A direction that removes solar rights does not mean solar is refused. It means the council decides through a planning application instead of the national rules deciding for you. Applications tend to go more smoothly when panels go on a rear or less visible slope, sit flush with the roof, and use black frames and non-reflective panels. On some roofs, a rear slope alone can still carry a worthwhile system. Our guide to whether your London roof is suitable for solar covers what decides that.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out if my street has an Article 4 direction?

Your council's planning pages list its directions, usually by conservation area, and many show them on an online map. The direction itself, not a summary, tells you which rights it removes. We check this for every address as part of our survey.

Can an Article 4 direction stop panels on the back of my house?

It can, if the direction removes the solar right without limiting it to street-facing elevations. Hackney's Brownswood direction is an example. Brent's directions, by contrast, still allow panels on rear roof slopes.

Do these directions apply to flats?

Blocks of flats only gained permitted development rights for solar on 27 August 2026, and that right belongs to the block, not to an individual flat owner. Most of the directions above were written for houses, so the position for a block depends on its wording. We check it for each building.

If you live in one of the areas above, or are not sure whether your street is covered, request a solar and battery quotation. We check the conservation area, Article 4 and listing position for your address before we quote, and we tell you early if a planning application is needed.

Article 4 information checked against council sources, including the directions themselves where available, between 27 and 29 October 2026. Directions change, so this is general guidance, not advice for a specific property. Next review: April 2027.