Planning permission for biomass boilers

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
  • The capacity of the system must not exceed 45 kilowatts thermal.
  • Only the first installation of a flue as part of either a biomass heating system or a combined heat and power system will be permitted development. Further installations will require planning permission from the local authority.
  • The flue must not be more than one metre higher than the highest part of the roof, or the height of an existing flue which is being replaced, whichever is the highest.
  • Permitted development rights do not apply to installing flues on listed buildings, within the grounds of a listed building, or on a site designated as a scheduled monument.
Restrictions
If the building is on designated land* the flue should not be installed on a wall or roof slope which fronts a highway.
* Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.
If you are a leaseholder you may need to get permission from your landlord, freeholder or management company.

This has nothing to do with boiler accreditation. Just stick the boiler in a shipping container if you can’t get planning?
Is that the mcs certification domestic rhi recent applications or when rhi launched.
 

akaPABLO01

Member
Is that the mcs certification domestic rhi recent applications or when rhi launched.
That has always been the biomass rules. Before you install. The only time you contact planning is green belt, listed building, bigger than 45kW (emissions) and most importantly of all is the 1m flue height.

Every good installer had this implanted in the brain. All the cowboys just smiled and said “look at these returns..”
 

akaPABLO01

Member
Honest question for all you biomass people:

How many of you have carbon monoxide detectors if your unit is in enclosed areas and correct air ventilation sizing?
 

Dman2

Member
Location
Durham, UK
That has always been the biomass rules. Before you install. The only time you contact planning is green belt, listed building, bigger than 45kW (emissions) and most importantly of all is the 1m flue height.

Every good installer had this implanted in the brain. All the cowboys just smiled and said “look at these returns..”
So ours is 100kw output capacity, ??
You say bigger than 45kw emissions??
 

akaPABLO01

Member
So ours is 100kw output capacity, ??
You say bigger than 45kw emissions??
Yes

45kW> heat output, councils are under pressure to cut carbon footprint, if your boiler is in an area with high output the likelihood of permission is no. Carbon capture filters are too expensive.
 
Yes

45kW> heat output, councils are under pressure to cut carbon footprint, if your boiler is in an area with high output the likelihood of permission is no. Carbon capture filters are too expensive.

Sorry to add to the torrent of questions, but how do councils work out the Carbon Footprint, (i.e. is it Particulate or CO2) and how is this measured and is there an obligation to reduce?
 

akaPABLO01

Member
Sorry to add to the torrent of questions, but how do councils work out the Carbon Footprint, (i.e. is it Particulate or CO2) and how is this measured and is there an obligation to reduce?
Environmental agencies will put out test collections around the boroughs usually attached to lampposts or such.

High impact areas like airports, highways and industrial areas would have restrictions.

Just google your council and maybe “emissions strategy” or “under pressure to”. Gaze up high around your borough and you may see collection pots.

 
Last edited:

Satty

New Member
I work as an air quality consultant and over the past two months we have seen an increase in the number of farmers coming to us requiring retrospective planning permission for their biomass boilers.

I completely sympathise with you: it is unfair that the goalposts have changed and RFI is being withheld until it is sorted. The government should be encouraging the uptake of renewable energy sources through new subsidies, not making it more difficult for those who have already invested in renewables.

The Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) we have dealt with so far are understanding and only asking for a short technical note to gain planning permission.

The technical note involves comparing the emission rates of the biomass boilers against benchmarks defined by Defra’s biomass tool:

https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/assets/biomassemissionsscreeningtoolv7.xls

Feel free to drop me a message with any further questions.
 

akaPABLO01

Member
I work as an air quality consultant and over the past two months we have seen an increase in the number of farmers coming to us requiring retrospective planning permission for their biomass boilers.

I completely sympathise with you: it is unfair that the goalposts have changed and RFI is being withheld until it is sorted. The government should be encouraging the uptake of renewable energy sources through new subsidies, not making it more difficult for those who have already invested in renewables.

The Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) we have dealt with so far are understanding and only asking for a short technical note to gain planning permission.

The technical note involves comparing the emission rates of the biomass boilers against benchmarks defined by Defra’s biomass tool:

https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/assets/biomassemissionsscreeningtoolv7.xls

Feel free to drop me a message with any further questions.
I think you’ll find that it’s always needed planning application from inception of accreditation. The actual registration didn’t at time but planning enquiring was. The numpties who installed, registered biomass above 45kW were inept and should be held accountable through farmers solicitors. There are grounds for a legal case against people who acccredited the systems as consultants such as NFU’s renewbles branch FEC if they consulted on the project and completed RHI secondary party application. But then again, there is a caveat within the actual application that states the owner must apply therefore understand the process. They were just conned out of cash for quick profit.
 

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