External shading blocks sunlight before it enters a building, reducing heat gain, improving comfort, and enhancing energy efficiency. This guidance sets out some practical measures that you can use and where planning permission may be required.
Planning permission
In many cases, residential solar shading (for example, external blinds, awnings, or louvred panels) is considered ‘permitted development’. This allows certain types of home improvements and extensions without the need for full planning permission.
Formal planning permission is generally only required if:
- your property is in a designated area, such as a Conservation Area
- your property is in an area where permitted development rights have been removed via an Article 4 Direction
- your property is a Listed Building - work to Listed Buildings can be more complex, we strongly recommend applying for pre-application advice before submitting an application
- size limits are exceeded or you are adding external shading that extends beyond a wall forming the principal elevation or beyond a side wall that fronts a highway.
You may not need to apply for formal planning permission if:
- you are attaching the shading to the rear of your house (for example, a louvred pergola or awning), the maximum depth must not exceed 4m for a detached property or 3m for semi-detached/terraced homes
- any shading structure within 2m of a property boundary is not higher than 3m
- you are adding a freestanding pod or pergola, it must be single-storey and not exceed 50% of the total land around your house
If you live in a flat or maisonette, permitted development rights do not apply and you will require both freeholder consent and full planning permission to alter the exterior facade.
Apply for planning permission via the Planning Portal, or use our Householder and Small Business advice service for more information.
Advice for Listed Buildings
If you live in a Listed Building, modifications to your home will require Listed Building Consent. We recommend applying for listed building pre-application advice before submitting an application.
Changes must be carefully designed to protect important architectural and historic features. Adding external shading to a listed building could include external wooden shutters or boxes/hoods above windows or doors which were originally designed to hold rolled-up awnings/blinds when they are not in use.
Historic England have also published advice for those living in Listed Buildings:
- Climate Change Adaptation Case Study: Cooling A Country House
- Adapting Historic Buildings for Energy and Carbon Efficiency
Other changes that do no require planning permission
There are other simple things you can do, which do not require planning permission:
- during the hottest part of the day, close windows and your curtains and blinds to keep the warmer air out
- close external shutters to stop the sun from warming up your home
- plant trees, shrubs and climbing plants in external areas to provide shade for walls and windows
- if you already have roof light windows in your home, you can install anti-heat awning blinds on the outside of the window, which can be retracted when they are not needed
- for properties with sash windows, there are removable awnings available that clamp onto the window directly from the inside. Visit Shaded for more information on removable awnings.
More information
- Householder guide to external shading – this guidance from Kensington and Chelsea provides advice on external solar shading that can be installed in historic homes
- Shade the UK Overheating Adaptation Guide for homes
- Carbon Neutral Cambridge heatwave resilient homes, providing local examples of different options for making your home more resilient
- The Heatwave Toolkit provides practical advice on ways to keep your home cool during heatwaves and hot weather.