A councillor said he was very concerned about extending conservation areas in Carmarthenshire if it meant people living in them couldn't put solar panels on their roofs. Cllr Russell Sparks proposed that a letter should be sent to the Welsh Government about what he and other members of the council's communities, homes and regeneration scrutiny committee felt was a conflict between national planning guidance and the need to reduce carbon emissions.
Carmarthenshire has 27 conservations areas, which aim to preserve and enhance the special character of areas of architectural or historic interest. The status provides the council with an additional measure of planning control, but this does not mean developments or work to homes cannot go ahead.
Cllr Handel Davies said residents in the Llandovery conservation area were finding it "impossible" to install solar panels, and that in his view being able to do so should take precedence over conservation area guidance. Nell Hellier, the council's senior built heritage officer, said she welcomed more solar panel planning applications and said they could be successful if they preserved or enhanced the designated area. "It's always a balance in each situation," she said. Cllr Davies said: "There is a climate action group in Llandovery, and that's not the impression they gave me." You can get more Carmarthenshire news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
