Our Right to Sunlight
This has been an issue for years with people wanting sunlight to grow vegetables and having ‘discussions” between neighbours and planners for the right to sunlight. This has taken on a new twist with the right to collect sunlight on solar panels.
One recent example from Hunter’s Hill in Sydney has left the home owners both out of pocket because of loss of the $8,000 solar rebate and also because the local planners has just approved a development next door that will shade the panels they have just spent $40,00 0 to install.
The home owner said “The whole idea was to reduce our carbon footprint - we knew it would never pay for itself - but that will now be pretty much worthless. We weren’t going to make any money out of doing this. We were basically just trying to do the right thing.”
The 20 panels cover half their roof, and generate about 4.2 kilowatts of electricity when in full sun - enough to meet the energy needs of an average house. The property next door is being renovated, with an extra storey and a parapet to be added.
Should the right to sunlight be a planning consideration? I would have thought so!
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