U.K. town tells couple to take down solar panels because of aesthetics

James and Joy Skinner were encouraged by their local council to install solar panels on the roof and side of their United Kingdom home, only to later be told by the same officials that their $33,300 energy system presented a threat to the community. They told the family that filing their planning permission after the fact presented a risk, but not a large one. Weeks later, the Skinners received a rejection letter, requesting that their panels be taken down, because they “appear as an incongruous feature, which detracts substantially from the character and appearance of the conservation area,” an inspector’s report reads.

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