Solar panels in Chatham: hillside terraces, a valley skyline and Brompton’s Article 4 streets

Last reviewed: 29 October 2026. Figures are estimates unless stated; method and sources are given beside each one.

Chatham's streets climb the valley sides above the town centre. That gives the town a different solar profile from flat Kent towns. At the centre point we modelled, PVGIS shows the hills rising about 5.7° above the horizon due south. That is low, but in midwinter the sun only reaches about 15° at noon this far north, so the hills cut into short December days.

What the valley does to output

Method: we queried the PVGIS v5.3 PVcalc service for a roof-mounted 1 kWp array (35° pitch, 14% loss, horizon on, SARAH3) at the town's map point. Scale by system size; nearby trees and chimneys are not modelled.

Over a year the difference is tiny, about 0.2%, because summer sun is high above the hills. December output is about 4% lower. In practice, the slope of your own street matters more. A home on a north-facing hillside, with houses higher up behind it, can lose more winter sun than the model shows. A home near the top of a south-facing slope may lose none.

Other directions at the same point: south-east 960, south-west 954, east 809 and west 802 kWh per kWp a year. Morning sun is slightly stronger here than evening sun, because the skyline is a little higher to the west.

For battery planning, expect about 137 kWh from a 4 kWp south array in December and about 500 kWh in July. A battery helps you use summer output in the evening. In winter, a cheap overnight tariff will do more.

Terraces and rented homes

Chatham Central, and Luton and Wayfield wards (Census 2021, Census 2021):

TS044 and TS054; ward sums by us.

Half the homes are terraced, so the rear slope of a terrace is the usual roof, typically 2 to 3 kWp. Almost a third of households rent privately; if you rent, the landlord has to agree in writing.

For landlords: Medway Council has made a houses in multiple occupation Article 4 direction (council page). It covers wards including Chatham Central and Brompton, Luton and Fort Pitt. It controls changing a family house into a small shared house, not solar panels. Adding panels does not change a property's use.

Estimated costs for Chatham homes

Estimated using government averages for the South East in 2025/26 (DESNZ: £1,858.90 a kW to 4 kW; £1,721.49 a kW from 4 to 10 kW). Panels and inverter only; quotes after a survey will differ.

Batteries: about £1,500 to £10,000 depending on capacity (Energy Saving Trust). Solar and batteries are zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027 (HMRC). See our battery calculator.

Brompton, New Road and Maidstone Road

Medway Council's Article 4 directions for dwellings cover several Chatham areas:

• Brompton Lines (conservation area from 1981): properties in Mill Road, Saunders Street, St Georges Road, Trinity Road and Marlborough Road.
• New Road, Chatham (1972): listed house numbers along New Road.
• Maidstone Road, Chatham (2005): 29 to 79 (odd) and 90 to 132 (even).

These directions remove permitted development for minor changes to elevations facing a highway or public footpath, including roof alterations. Solar is not named in the council's summary, so check with Medway Council before fitting panels on a front slope. The Chatham Historic Dockyard conservation area is mainly non-residential.

Outside those streets, the national rules apply (GPDO Part 14, Class A, as amended by SI 2026/896 from 27 August 2026): in a conservation area, panels on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure fronting a highway are not permitted development. Elsewhere on a house, pitched-roof panels must stay within 0.2 m of the slope and below the ridge, and panels on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure may project up to 0.4 m, or 0.2 m where it abuts a highway. Listed buildings are excluded.

Grid and export

A 2 to 3 kWp array stays within G98, so the installer tells UK Power Networks after fitting. Larger systems use G99. Sign up for a Smart Export Guarantee tariff for exports.

Comparing installers in Chatham

Use the directory to see which businesses work in your area, or send one request through our quote form. Ask each firm for a roof plan, an output estimate, the inverter make and who files the grid notification.

Related guides

• Rochester for the Historic Rochester Article 4 streets
• Sittingbourne · Maidstone
• Map your own roof with RoboMo™