It’s the new year and I bring tidings of good cheer for owners of old, cold, solid walled homes across the land! It would seem that government departments have finally seen sense, banged a few heads together and have changed the planning guidance for people wanting to add external cladding to their walls.<\/p>\n
I brought the issue up just over a year ago when I first came up against this ridiculous planning restriction as I was investigating external cladding for my own gable wall. The orginal post is here:<\/p>\n
Desperately seeking soild wall insulation in Lambeth<\/a><\/p>\n Nearly a year later, and much hassling of governent officials, and nothing had changed:<\/p>\n My quest for solid wall insulation – the battle continues<\/a><\/p>\n In that year I had brought the subject up where ever I found myself in a position to do so. Even haranguing Greg Barker about it at the eco tech conference in Brighton over the summer, at the time he seemed rather clueless about the whole issue to be honest.<\/p>\n An article in the Sunday Telegraph about my situation brought another flurry of interest and lots of emails for people who were in the same position. Read it here<\/a><\/p>\n Well, I’m pleased to annouce it seems as if all that effort has paid off at last! On the 11th January, DCLG – the Department reponsible for buildings and planning laws published revised guidance for external solid wall insulation. Making it, to all intents and purposes ‘permitted development’ and hence not requiring planning permission in most normal circumstances (listed buidlings and conservation areas aside). Hoorah!<\/p>\n