Homeowners will be allowed to install solar panels and other small-scale renewable energy technology in their homes without planning permission under new proposals announced by the Scottish Government yesterday.
It is hoped the new rules will make it easier and cheaper for householders to make use of solar power, wind turbines, and other micro-renewables.
Under the current system, anyone wishing to install an environmentally-friendly device in their home must first apply to council planners for permission, which can take months, if not years, at a cost of hundreds of pounds.
Under the proposals, permission would be granted automatically without any need for a formal application, provided that strict criteria are met governing matters such as the location and size of the devices.
Ministers hope the move will help reduce Scotland's carbon emissions, which the government recently pledged to try to bring down by 80% by 2050. The target is expected to be included in a Climate Change Bill to be put before the Scottish parliament.
Climate change minister Stewart Stevenson launched a 10-week consultation on the plans yesterday at the home of Dora Elliot, who spent a year awaiting planning permission from her council to install a solar panel in the roof of her home.
The application process was so difficult, costly and time-consuming that others might have given up altogether. Retired social worker Ms Elliot persevered, however, and now, after winning her fight, the long-awaited panel is halving her bills and simultaneously helping the environment.
Yesterday she welcomed the plans to scrap planning permission for such panels and other micro-renewables.
Speaking at her Edinburgh home, the 77-year-old said: "Things got very complicated, as though I was building a house, not just wanting to install a panel in the roof.
"I think most people would have given up but I was determined. I was brought up with my grandmother, who believed in the mantra waste not, want not', and I am very interested in recycling and the environment.
"During the year, I wrote to MSPs, councillors, and other people about the complex and obstructive nature of the planning application procedure and the support I received helped keep me going. I'm glad that they are now planning to make planning permission much easier."
She added that the move would cut the cost for others too, saving them the £130 application fee and the cost of meeting the requests of council planners for further details, which could cost several hundred pounds more.
Mr Stevenson said: "The cost and time required to get planning consent can often be a disincentive to householders seeking to install microgeneration technologies.
"We are seeking to strike the right balance between planning considerations and the wider environmental benefits of reducing carbon emissions."
On average, solar panels can save householders around £170 each year in bills. But it is the saving to the planet that environmental campaigners are most concerned with.
Friends of the Earth (FoE) welcomed yesterday's move as a long-awaited victory following their efforts over more than a year to pressure ministers into reforming what it believes are outdated planning laws.
Liz Murray, FoE Scotland campaigns office, said: "Micro-renewable energy has great potential to reduce climate change emissions from Scotland's homes, and we welcome this move to reduce the red tape currently facing householders who want to generate their own clean, green energy at home."
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