8 kW Solar on Grade I Kent Flint Church — 28-Week Faculty and Historic England Consultation

The church

A Grade I listed flint parish church in the Kent Weald, originally Norman with significant 13th-century additions and a Victorian restoration by George Edmund Street (1863). The church is a scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 for its below-ground archaeology (Saxon cremation cemetery). It sits within a registered historic churchyard and a Conservation Area covering the surrounding village. The Diocese of Canterbury.

This project is deliberately included in our case study portfolio because it is the hardest category: Grade I listed, scheduled monument, Conservation Area, AONB-adjacent. It took the longest of any project we have delivered. The system size is smaller than our typical installation. And it was worth every hour.

Why pursue solar on a Grade I?

The PCC had been told by a previous installer that Grade I listing “made solar impossible.” This is a common but incorrect perception. Historic England’s published guidance — Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Solar Electric (Photovoltaic) Panels (2022 edition) — explicitly confirms that solar can be acceptable on all grades of listing where the design is sympathetic and the less-visible principle is followed. The question is not whether Grade I can have solar — it is which slope, which specification, and what scale.

The parish’s financial case for solar was modest but real: the church spend £2,100/year on electricity (the hall is on a separate meter). The PCC’s primary motivation was the diocesan Net Zero commitment and the Eco Church pathway, rather than payback period. The congregation had voted at an APCM to commit to Eco Church Gold by 2027, and the Buildings category (the hardest to score) required on-site generation.

The consent pathway

Grade I solar applications require consultation with Historic England (a statutory consultee under the 2018 Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure). This is distinct from Grade II* and below, where HE is consulted only if the DAC deems it necessary. For Grade I, HE involvement is mandatory.

Programme:

• Initial desk feasibility: September 2023
• PCC resolution to proceed: November 2023
• Structural survey and heritage architect commission: December 2023
• Statement of Significance (commissioned from independent heritage consultant): January–March 2024 (1,900 words, significantly more detailed than a typical Grade II application)
• Statement of Needs: March 2024
• Pre-submission meeting with Canterbury DAC architect: April 2024
• Faculty petition submission: May 2024
• DAC review (including Historic England consultation): May–August 2024 (HE 12-week statutory window)
• Historic England response: August 2024 — no objection in principle; conditions specified (see below)
• 28-day public notice: September 2024
• Chancellor’s faculty grant: October 2024

Total consent period: 28 weeks from petition submission to faculty grant.

Historic England conditions:

1. Panel placement on north aisle south slope only (least-visible; north nave south slope rejected due to proximity to the lych-gate approach)
2. Maximum 8kWp — HE would not sanction a larger array on this building
3. Black-on-black monocrystalline panels, minimum 400W
4. Strictly non-penetrative fixings. HE specified that no fixings may penetrate the existing Peg-tile roof covering or the battens beneath; a bespoke Velcro-and-frame system was engineered
5. Panels must be removable within one working day by two engineers
6. Full photographic record and reversibility statement deposited with Historic England

In addition, the parish is a Scheduled Monument. Works below ground are prohibited — this was not relevant to the rooftop solar installation but required a formal Section 42 scheduled monument consent letter from Historic England confirming the works do not affect the scheduled area. Obtained October 2024.

The funding

The £13,000 capex for an 8kW system on a Grade I building is higher per kW than a standard parish install, reflecting:

• Heritage consultant’s Statement of Significance: £1,800
• Pre-submission meeting and re-drawing fees: £600
• Bespoke non-penetrative Velcro-frame fixing system: £2,400 premium over standard fixings
• Longer access period (scaffold extended for 6 weeks to await faculty): £800

Grant funding:

Source	Amount	% of capex
Listed Places of Worship VAT scheme	£1,333	10%
Canterbury Diocese heritage grant	£3,000	23%
Allchurches Trust (Benefact Trust)	£2,000	15%
Parish reserves	£4,667	36%
Congregation appeal (Gift Aid enhanced)	£2,000	15%
Total funding	£13,000	100%
Total capex	£13,000	—

Net cost to parish: zero.

Note: Buildings for Mission was not applied for. The BfM programme at the time of application was directing applications toward lower-listed buildings with stronger payback economics to maximise grant leverage. For Grade I buildings with modest system sizes, the diocese’s own heritage grant fund was the more appropriate route.

System specification

• 16 panels on north aisle south slope
• Total: 8 kWp (REC Alpha 500W, black-on-black, chosen for high efficiency per panel — minimising panel count on a constrained roof area)
• 1 × Fronius Primo 8.2 single-phase inverter
• Bespoke non-penetrative fixing frame — aluminium H-frame anchored to lead-flashed wall plate at ridge and valley with no penetration of tile covering
• No battery (payback case did not justify it at this system size; the parish may add a battery in 2028)
• All wiring through void to inverter in Victorian vestry

DNO (UK Power Networks): G98 single-phase approval, 2 weeks. Commissioning: 15 November 2024.

First-year results (November 2024 – November 2025)

• Annual generation: 7,090 kWh (modelled: 7,100 — within 0.15%)
• Self-consumption: 38% (Sunday-only church with minimal weekday use)
• Cost avoidance: £590 (2,690 kWh on-site at 21.9p)
• SEG export income: £465 (4,400 kWh exported at 10.6p Octopus Flux)
• Total first-year benefit: £1,055

Simple payback on net cost (funded to zero): immediate. Simple payback on gross capex: 12.3 years. This is longer than our typical 6–9 year payback, reflecting the Grade I constraints. The PCC understood this going in and prioritised the mission and Eco Church outcome over payback period. 25-year projected lifetime saving: £26,000.

Eco Church assessment: the Buildings category credit for on-site generation, combined with other retrofit works (LED, heat pump feasibility completed in 2025), moved the parish from Eco Church Silver to the Gold shortlist. Formal Gold award expected 2027.

What this project demonstrates

We include this case study specifically because many Grade I parishes are told solar is impossible. The truth is:

1. Historic England will consult, not prohibit. HE’s mandate is to ensure the least-visible-viable outcome, not to prevent solar on listed buildings. In our experience, a well-prepared application with pre-submission engagement almost always proceeds.
2. Small systems are still worth it. 8kW on a Grade I church generates £1,000/year in combined savings and export — modest, but real. Over 25 years, that is £26,000 to the parish.
3. The mission case is often the primary driver on Grade I sites. Payback-period analysis is not always the right frame. For parishes pursuing Eco Church Gold, the Buildings category requires on-site generation, and any viable solar project — however constrained — unlocks that credit.
4. The process is long but manageable. 28 weeks is not impossible. It requires careful programme management, early engagement with HE and the DAC architect, and patience. For most Grade I parishes, the constraints are about the right installer and the right approach, not the listing grade itself.
5. Bespoke fixings are expensive but achievable. The Velcro-frame system specified by HE for this installation is now part of our standard Grade I product. We have delivered three further projects using this fixing system since this install.

Could we deliver a similar project for your Grade I church?

We specialise in exactly these projects — the ones most installers decline. If your church is Grade I, Grade II* or a Scheduled Monument, and you are wondering whether solar is achievable, request a free desk feasibility. We will give you a straightforward assessment within 7 working days, including a realistic programme and a funding estimate.