Coggeshall: Council to refuse solar panels bid due to 'aesthetics'

Barry Thompson said navigating the application process was like "playing Snakes and Ladders"

A 78-year-old man says he feels he is being "penalised" for trying to make his home more energy efficient by installing solar panels.

Barry Thompson applied for solid wall insulation and six panels for his home in Coggeshall, Essex.

However, Braintree District Council told him his application would most likely be refused - because it sits in a designated conservation area.

"I chose to do the right thing and I've been penalised," said Mr Thompson.

"The whole system is just not geared up for the situation we are in and I really cannot understand the problem."

Barry Thompson's home (pictured) is several doors away from another house with solar panels already installed

The father-of-two has lived in the former council house for 53 years and bought the property under the right-to-buy scheme in the 1980s.

He said he was told last year through the Sustainable Warmth (Green Homes Grant) - a scheme subsidised by the government - that the insulation and panels would be fully funded.

Mr Thompson submitted a planning application for the work but, in an email seen by the BBC, a district council officer said it would be recommended for refusal because it would cause harm to the Coggeshall conservation area.

In a second email, also seen by the BBC, a heritage consultant on behalf of Essex County Council said: "The solar panels would be an incongruous, modern element which detracts from the overall aesthetic quality of the street scene".

A council officer said Mr Thompson's application would be recommended for refusal because of the designated conservation area

Mr Thompson, who has spent £256 on the application so far, said he would alternatively heat his home by fitting a new gas boiler or using his open fireplace - less energy efficient options.

Tom Walsh, an independent Braintree district councillor, told BBC Essex: "The advantages here seem very clear - it shouldn't be so complicated, it shouldn't take so long, and Barry is being made to go round the houses."

Braintree District Council declared a climate emergency in 2019.

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A Braintree council spokesperson said: "We recognise the benefits of renewable energy schemes for homes of this nature and want to support these wherever possible.

"However, heritage is also an important consideration that should be taken into account when deciding applications and in line with national planning policies, it is necessary to weigh the benefits of the proposal against the harm that would arise to the heritage asset."

The council declined to say why a neighbouring property in West Street already had six solar panels fixed to its front roof.