Solar for Edinburgh's Old and New Towns and period homes

Design-led solar in Edinburgh has to answer to one of Britain’s best-known skylines. The Old and New Towns are a World Heritage Site, and slate roofs and chimney stacks define the view. A careful scheme can still generate real power here, but it must respect that skyline.

We are a national solar studio, and Edinburgh is one of our flagship locations. Instead of a local office, we work by appointment with owners of period homes, architects and self-builders. We do not claim local staff.

Edinburgh’s architecture and roofscape

The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh became a World Heritage Site in 1995. The site covers about 4,500 buildings. It joins the medieval Old Town to the planned New Town of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The New Town follows a consistent scale of three storeys, attic and basement. Ashlar stone fronts dominate, and slate covers the roofs. For solar, that matters because the roofs read as one quiet, dark surface. A well-chosen array can sit within that surface rather than argue with it.

Scottish planning rules for solar

Scotland has its own permitted development rules, so do not read across from England. The relevant Order is the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992. An amendment that came into force on 24 May 2024 added new domestic solar classes.

Class 6HA covers solar on a dwelling. It does not apply if the panels protrude more than one metre from the roof plane or wall. In a conservation area, it bars solar on the principal elevation, and on a side elevation that fronts a road. It does not apply to a listed building, or to a dwelling in the curtilage of one.

Crucially, Class 6HA also does not apply to a dwelling within a World Heritage Site. So inside the Old and New Towns, you need to apply to City of Edinburgh Council. Class 6HB gives a similar right for buildings in the curtilage of a dwelling, with a 500 millimetre limit. It excludes the front curtilage, listed buildings and World Heritage Sites.

Two points follow. First, permitted development is a narrow door in Edinburgh’s centre. Second, a conservation area outside the World Heritage Site can still allow rear-elevation solar. For the full picture, read our guide to solar panels and planning permission in Scotland.

Listed buildings and heritage guidance

Many Edinburgh homes are listed, and the national right does not cover them. So you will need listed building consent. Our post on solar panels on listed buildings explains how the consent process works.

Historic Environment Scotland publishes Managing Change guidance on micro-renewables. It advises avoiding the principal elevation, because of the visual impact. It suggests secondary roof slopes, hidden locations or surrounding areas instead. The council’s own listed buildings and conservation areas guidance also stresses the character of the building and the visual amenity of the conservation area.

We use these documents as design briefs. They tell us which slope to choose, and they tell us what the planning officer will ask. Before you design anything, check your address on the council’s mapping and on the Historic Environment Scotland designations map. Then you will know which designations apply to your roof.

Which systems suit Edinburgh

The best system depends on the roof, the designation and the street. Four routes cover most Edinburgh projects.

• Flush in-roof arrays suit rear and hidden pitches. The panels sit level with the covering, so the slate reads as one plane. Our in-roof solar service explains the detail.
• Solar slates and tiles replace part of the covering. They suit re-roofs, where the slate is coming off anyway. See our solar roof tiles and slates service.
• Hidden rear slopes and valleys often carry an array without any street view.
• Outbuildings and garden structures can host the array when the main house is listed or inside the World Heritage Site. They may still need consent.

Natural slate needs special care. Panels must not crack the slates or trap water. Our guide to fitting solar to a natural slate roof covers the practical detail.

Mounting and detailing

Mounting choices shape how a roof ages. A poorly flashed tray can leak, and a bracket that cuts into a slate can cause damage later. For this reason, we compare mounting systems before we choose one. Our guide to in-roof solar mounting systems compares the main options.

Colour and edge detail also matter. We pick matte, dark modules, and we keep margins even against ridges and verges. As a result, the array reads as part of the roof.

How an Edinburgh project runs

Because we work nationally and by appointment, the process starts with information.

1. Send your details. Use the enquiry form with photographs, drawings and your postcode.
2. Design review. We check the roof, the street and the designations, including any World Heritage Site boundary. Then we propose a system.
3. Consent route. We set out whether you need an application, listed building consent or neither. The council decides.
4. Survey and specification. We arrange a survey visit by appointment. We then write a specification your roofer and electrician can price.
5. Installation. We coordinate the roof interface so the finished array matches the design.

Shared tenement roofs also involve neighbours, so raise the idea with them early. Our conservation-area solar service is the best place to start for protected streets. When you are ready, send us your drawings.