Solar panels in Barking and Dagenham: Becontree roofs, riverside flats and four conservation areas

Most homes in Barking and Dagenham are not in a conservation area, and for a typical house a solar installation on the roof is normally permitted development. What makes the borough different is the Becontree Estate, which has its own design code and new Article 4 directions, plus a growing number of flats along the river.

The Becontree Estate design code

The Becontree Estate was built between 1921 and 1934 and was, at the time, the largest municipal estate in the world. The council treats it as a non-designated heritage asset, and in June 2026 it adopted the Becontree Estate Supplementary Planning Document and Design Code, which planners now take into account on applications within the estate.

The council's published answers on the code say it supports sensitive upgrades such as insulation and solar panels. It asks that panels are laid out efficiently, suit the roof's orientation and pitch, and do not harm the estate's character. In practice that means neat, regular arrays that respect the chimneys and roof shapes the code values.

Article 4 directions in Barking and Dagenham

The council has made two Article 4 directions for the Becontree Estate, both due to come into force on 19 November 2026 if confirmed. One removes permitted development rights for porches on all estate properties. The other covers corner plot houses and removes the rights for side extensions and for additions or alterations to the roof under the householder extension rules.

Neither direction mentions solar panels, microgeneration or the national solar rights, so on our reading they do not remove permitted development for roof panels. The corner plot direction is about extending or reshaping the roof, so if a solar project is part of a wider roof job on a corner house, that roofing work may need planning permission even though the panels do not. The maps attached to the directions were not legible in the copies we read, so we check whether a corner house falls inside the boundary before we quote.

The borough's other directions cover additional storeys on existing buildings and conversion of houses into houses in multiple occupation. Neither of the documents we read mentions solar.

Conservation areas and listed buildings

There are four conservation areas: Abbey and Barking Town Centre, Abbey Road Riverside, Dagenham Village, and the Chadwell Heath Anti-aircraft Gun Site. The borough also has 45 statutory listed buildings and structures, and the site of Barking Abbey is a scheduled ancient monument.

Under the national rules, the restriction in a conservation area or World Heritage Site applies to panels on a wall fronting a highway, not to a roof slope. Panels on a pitched roof, including a front roof slope, are normally permitted development as long as they 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 to the council first. Listed buildings need planning permission and listed building consent. See our guide to planning permission for solar panels in London.

Flats at Barking Riverside and in the town centre

At Barking Riverside, a masterplan approved by the Mayor in 2016 allows up to 10,000 new homes. Since 27 August 2026 blocks of flats have permitted development rights for solar for the first time, but the right belongs to the block, so it is the freeholder or management company that needs to take a project forward, not an individual flat owner.

Connecting to the grid

The whole borough is served by UK Power Networks as the distribution network operator. We handle the DNO notification or application for every system we install, and our guide to DNOs and export limits explains how system size affects the process. If you already have panels, you may also be able to add a battery to your existing solar system.

Wherever you are in the borough, we check the designations for your address before we quote. To get started, request a solar and battery quotation.

Local planning information checked against London Borough of Barking and Dagenham sources on 28 October 2026. Planning designations change, so this is general guidance, not advice for a specific property.