Dual standards

SIR, — Re your story that St Albans District Council banned solar panels in one Conservation Area but is to allow them on its own building in another. It is well overdue that councils are brought into line with a corporate and consistent guide to planning

SIR, - Re your story that St Albans District Council banned solar panels in one Conservation Area but is to allow them on its own building in another.

It is well overdue that councils are brought into line with a corporate and consistent guide to planning whether it be Listed or Conservation planning by the Government. St Albans planning appears to be maverick and makes the rules up as they go along.

One only has to visit some commercial premises along the High Street in Redbourn to see that what is OK for shops is not OK for domestic dwellings. Some have knocked down listed parts of walls, installed venting, air conditioning etc and the council does not appear to worry. I do not trust their judgement any more, preferring to be advised by English Heritage. If one had the money, it would be interesting what a Judicial Review would make of some of their decisions.

Government should now with energy shortages apparent and CO2 increases, encourage installation of photo-voltaics and solar water heating on most households - we are way behind as usual our EU partners on this issue. Indeed the UK is just attaining the 1935 standards of energy efficiency in many Scandinavian homes - that is how far behind we are.

Although illegal, I would suggest Mr Lefeber should have done what some commercial premises have done - just made the alterations without asking for consent and ignored the council.

T. BRADLEY,

Pondsmeade, Redbourn.