A general permission exists under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, as amended by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No2) Order 2005 for satellite dishes in certain circumstances.
Before you buy or rent a satellite dish, you are advised to contact the Planning Hotline to check if planning permission is required to install it on you property. If it is required, planning permission should be granted before installation.
If the satellite dish is already installed and planning permission would have been required, a retrospective planning application can be submitted. However, if it is refused you can be made to remove or relocate the dish.
Even if your supplier informs you that planning permission would not be required, always check with the Planning Hotline.
You can find out whether you need to make an application by viewing our Satellite Q & A.
If you are not the owner of the property, you are advised to contact the owner or landlord for permission to install the dish.
Further about Satellite dishes is available at www.planningportal.gov.uk
If a satellite dish is to be installed on a listed building, Listed Building Consent will be required, as it is likely to affect the character or appearance of the building or it’s setting. The Planning Hotline will be able to advise you if you are unsure if the property is a listed building.
You can find out whether your property is a listed building by viewing the Index of Listed Buildings in Hastings & St Leonards.
If planning permission is required, there is a fee of £135 and it is likely to take between 6-8 weeks to determine.
Whether planning permission is required or not, the positioning and design of a satellite dish is critical.
The Council will seek to ensure that dishes are not sited in prominent positions. Therefore, when possible you should avoid siting the dish on front elevations, or elevations fronting a road. You should also locate it in a position where your neighbours and the public cannot see it. Sometimes satellite dishes may have to be sited in gardens rather than on the roof or walls of buildings.
If the dish needs to be located at the front, it may be that it could be installed at the back but angled over the roof. Ask your installer for advice.
You should also ensure the dish blends with its chosen background, for example avoid a white dish on a dark brick elevation.
Poor siting and design could lead to the Council asking for the dish to be relocated or removed - at your own expense.
Planning permission is unlikely to be granted for several dishes on a single building. If there is already the maximum number of dishes on the building, it is possible to have a communal satellite dish which can be shared with other residents in the same building.
Some installers are able to fit Low Noise Blocks (LNBs) to supply either two, four or eight digiboxes. Not only would this reduce the visual impact of numerous satellite dishes on one building, it would also reduce the cost of installation.
A shared system does not include a communal subscription; this would need to be undertaken individually.
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Where planning permission is required for satellite dishes or similar aerials they will be required, where practicable, to be located on rear elevations or in gardens and, if at all visible, be of a colour that blends with the surroundings.
In the case of Listed Buildings or within a Conservation Area or similarly sensitive area, they will be required to be in locations that are not publicly visible.
In appropriate situations, the Council will require that a single communal dish or aerial is provided to serve more than one property.
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This page last updated: 26/11/2009