Satellite dishes and planning rules

Many of the towns we cover have conservation areas, including the historic centres of Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Saffron Walden, Ely, Wisbech, King's Lynn and Norwich. In these designated areas, the same size limits apply, plus one more: the dish must not be fitted on a chimney, wall or roof slope that faces onto, and is visible from, a road. The same restriction applies to walls and roof slopes facing a Broads waterway, which matters for homes along the rivers of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads.

In practice this usually means a side or rear wall, an outbuilding, or a low position in the garden. From East Anglia the satellites sit to the south-east, so if the back of your house faces roughly that way, a compliant position is usually easy to find.

Designated areas also include National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the Suffolk Coast and Heaths and the Norfolk Coast, and World Heritage Sites.

Listed buildings are a separate matter. Listed building consent is generally needed for any antenna that affects the character or appearance of the building or its setting, even if planning permission isn't. On listed homes, we look first at options that don't touch the building: a dish in the garden, on an outbuilding, or Freeview through a loft aerial. Your council's planning department can tell you whether a building is listed.

Permitted development rights for antennas don't apply to houses created under certain change-of-use rights or new-dwelling rights, so some converted buildings need planning permission for a dish. Separately, many new estates have covenants in the deeds restricting where a dish can go, often to the side or rear. Covenants are a private matter between you and the developer or management company, separate from planning, so it's worth checking your deeds before booking.

On every job we look at where the dish can go, explain any planning or covenant issues we're aware of, and find a position with a clear view to the satellites that keeps you within the rules. If we think permission or consent might be needed, we'll say so before we fit anything. When in doubt, your local planning authority can give a definitive answer. This guide covers England; rules in Wales and Scotland differ.