In recent years, council has been presented with a number of DAs where a neighbour has been opposed to plans, concerned that it will result in overshadowing of their solar panels.

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However, there is no provision in Bathurst's development control plan (DCP) to support refusing consent on these grounds.

Last month, councillor Jess Jennings requested that council seek advice regarding overshadowing of solar panels after the issue was raised again in a new DA.

A property owner in Piper Street had objected to their neighbour adding a second storey on their home, concerned that it would lead to overshadowing of her panels.

The neighbour had offered to pay to relocate some of her solar panels, but she declined the offer based on advice from the company that installed them.

While councillors were sympathetic to the neighbouring property owner's concerns, they resolved to approve the DA and acknowledged the need for more consideration of impacts on solar panels.

"It's probably something that we should be looking at and go from there," Cr Warren Aubin said.

Cr Jennings' direction to council staff was to "write to the relevant minister and explain the issue we've had, three times at least now, the issue of overshadowing solar panels".

"The fact that they can be an income earning asset for people these days makes it different to what it has been in the past," he said.

Council's director of Environmental, Planning and Building Services, Neil Southorn, said council has discussed overshadowing of solar panels at a working party previously.

At that working party, staff provided research into what other councils do, which he said was "very little".

He also said he was aware the issue was being discussed at a local government level, but had not heard of any legislation being proposed at this stage.

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