Solar panels in Ealing: garden estates, roof materials and an SSEN network

In Ealing the key planning questions for solar are often about the roof rather than the panels. The borough has many conservation areas, historic garden estates with tight Article 4 controls, firm guidance on matching roof tiles, and, unusually for London, an electricity network run by SSEN rather than UK Power Networks.

Thirty conservation areas, including the new Lammas Park

Ealing has around 30 conservation areas. The council's March 2023 management plan counted 28, and Lammas Park, approved in November 2025, was reported locally as the 30th. Examples include Ealing Common, Haven Green, Mount Park, Montpelier Park, St Stephen's and Brentham Garden Estate. The same review extended and reduced several boundaries, so a street outside a conservation area a few years ago may now be inside one.

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. Our guide to planning permission for solar panels in London covers the general rules in more detail.

Article 4 directions in Ealing's garden estates

Six conservation areas carry Article 4 directions: Bedford Park, Brentham Garden Estate, Churchfields (Half Acre Road), Ealing Town Centre (The Grove), Hanger Hill Garden Estate and Hanger Hill (Haymills) Estate. There are also directions covering the Chapel and West Lodge at St Bernard's and listed buildings in the borough.

The dates matter. Householder rights for solar were introduced in 2008, so a direction made before then cannot have taken them away. Brentham's directions date from 1976 and 2007, Half Acre Road's from 1996, and Hanger Hill Garden Estate's from 1976 and 2002. Three of Ealing's directions are more recent, and we have read all three. The Bedford Park direction of 2008 covers extensions, roof enlargements and other roof alterations, and does not mention solar. The Hanger Hill (Haymills) direction of 2011 adds control over outbuildings only. The Grove direction of January 2013, covering part of the Ealing Town Centre conservation area, is different: it removes the householder right to fit solar PV or solar thermal panels, along with roof alterations facing a road and several other works. For a house covered by The Grove direction, panels need a planning application. Our London list of Article 4 directions that affect solar shows which other boroughs have them.

The council's 2023 review also proposed directions in further conservation areas, so we check the current list for your address.

Re-roofing before solar in Ealing

Even where the panels themselves need no permission, the roof work underneath can. Several of the directions above bring roof materials or roof works under planning control. Ealing’s general management plan for conservation areas also expects replacement tiles and slates to match the original in type, material, profile and colour, and says interlocking and concrete tiles are generally not appropriate unless part of the original design. If your roof needs replacing, plan the materials with that in mind. Read more on whether you need a new roof before solar.

Connecting to the grid: SSEN, not UK Power Networks

Most of London is served by UK Power Networks, but SSEN (Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks) runs the distribution network across much of west London, including Ealing. SSEN has announced investment in its West London network, which it describes as covering parts of Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon. Your MPAN, printed on your electricity bill, starts with 20 for SSEN's southern area and 12 for UK Power Networks' London area, so we confirm the operator for your address before we apply. We handle the notification or application to the DNO, and our guide to DNOs and export limits explains how system size affects the process.

If your home is in an Ealing conservation area or garden estate, the sensible order is to check the designations, settle any roof work, then design the solar and battery system around what the roof allows. 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 Ealing sources on 28 October 2026. Planning designations change, so this is general guidance, not advice for a specific property.