bere:architects celebrate another win for the environment as another of our clients wins their planning appeal!

After a protracted process, one of our clients living in Haringey, North London has won their planning appeal, overturning a planning refusal (against the assumption of automatic permitted development) for their photovoltaic installation. Permission has now been granted without conditions. Whilst most neighbours had strongly supported our client’s wish to reduce their carbon footprint, one neighbour up the hill on the other side of the street complained that they could see the solar panels peeping over the roof from their first floor living room.The council, who had at first said that our client didn’t need planning permission, subsequently bowed to pressure from a complaining neighbour up the hill, requesting an application, which they promptly refused. This is a decision that has turned out to be costly for the Council.

The solar installation, which forms part of a fabric-first suite of improvements, has been designed to supply 1.665kW of renewable energy. Other improvements to the Victorian house include fitting external insulation to the rear and side of the building, solar thermal collectors for hot water, and installing extract fans that incorporate heat recovery, replacing ordinary bathroom extract fans which waste heat.

The client has since commissioned bere:architects to design them a new passivhaus home in central London.