New build housing development in Central Lancashire with rooftop solar PV

Lancashire sub-region

Solar panels for new builds in Central Lancashire

What the Future Homes Standard means for new homes across Central Lancashire: sizing solar PV to the 40% rule, the planning authorities involved, and local technical checks.

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Central Lancashire covers Preston, Chorley and South Ribble, the busiest part of the county for new housing. Strategic sites such as Buckshaw Village, Cottam and Pickering's Farm sit alongside smaller infill plots.

Growth schemes across Central Lancashire

Some of the larger schemes named in local plans and regeneration programmes. Homes on them that commence after the transitional period will be built to the Future Homes Standard.

Cottam (Preston)
Buckshaw Village (Chorley)
Whittingham (Preston)
Pickering's Farm (South Ribble)

Central Lancashire planning context

The three councils plan jointly through the Central Lancashire Local Plan, which is being reviewed. Check the policies that apply to your site at the time of your application, including any on renewable or low-carbon energy, because a Local Plan requirement can go beyond the Part L notional dwelling. The Future Homes Standard applies from 24 March 2027, with the transitional period ending on 24 March 2028.

Planning authorities in Central Lancashire

Preston City CouncilChorley CouncilSouth Ribble Borough Council

For the county-wide overview see the Lancashire county page; for full FHS specification detail see the FHS pillar guide.

40% of ground floor area

PV / ground floor area

Mar 2027

FHS in force

75%

CO₂ vs 2013 baseline

£4,350 per dwelling

Per-plot premium (2025 prices, FHS Impact Assessment)

For developers and housebuilders

New-build solar in Central Lancashire on volume new-build programmes

On a multi-plot programme, settle four things at procurement: the per-plot price and how it moves with inflation; whether the array is modelled in the SAP 10.3 calculation for every house type; what your structural warranty provider needs to see for roof-integrated PV; and who issues the MCS certificate at handover, since buyers need it to claim Smart Export Guarantee payments.

Developer guide →

For self-builders and architects

New-build solar in Central Lancashire for one-off custom builds

On a one-off build the array is easiest to settle at RIBA Stage 2 or 3, while the roof geometry is still open. Your SAP assessor models the system for the Part L submission, your building control body signs it off, and PV installed as part of constructing a new dwelling is zero-rated for VAT under HMRC Notice 708.

Self-build guide →

How this fits into the FHS compliance pathway

Every FHS-compliant new build passes three regulatory gates. New-build solar in Central Lancashire sits mainly in the second, design-stage Part L compliance, but it affects building control sign-off and the handover documents too:

1
Planning permission Solar PV designed into a new dwelling is normally covered by the dwelling's own planning permission. Conservation areas, Article 4 directions and plots within the curtilage of a listed building need extra planning evidence, usually prepared by the architect or planning agent.
2
Building control: Part L compliance SAP 10.3 is the compliance calculation at FHS launch. The dwelling's emission and primary energy rates must meet their targets, with the PV array, heat pump, fabric U-values and air permeability all entered. The SAP assessor prepares the design-stage and as-built calculations that building control reviews.
3
Completion: certificates and handover The MCS certificate (needed for Smart Export Guarantee payments), the Energy Performance Certificate and the homeowner's handover documents. If your structural warranty provider has requirements for roof-integrated PV, confirm them before the roof goes on.

For a fuller walkthrough of the compliance process, see the Part L 2026 guide and the FHS PV calculator, which sizes a compliant array from your ground floor area.

FHS in force from 24 March 2027

Get a quote for new-build solar in Central Lancashire

Share your plot details and a solar installer can price a system sized to the Part L 2026 notional dwelling, with PV area equal to 40% of the ground floor area. There is no obligation to go ahead.

✓ Sized to the 40% ground-floor-area rule
✓ For developer programmes and one-off self-builds
✓ Check any installer against the MCS register before you sign

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A few details about the plot help an installer price it accurately.