PLANS to install solar panels on a cottage roof have been refused, with heritage officers saying they would be "harmful" to the appearance of a key conservation area.

The application, submitted by Mr Bartle, would have seen panels installed on the rear of the roof of 24 Changegate in Haworth - the village most famous for being the home of the Bronte Sisters.

The building is one half of a pair of stone cottages, built in the early 19th century and located in the Haworth Conservation Area.

Much of the village is protected, and Haworth is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Bradford District.

A report by conservation officer Gerrard Shaw said: "Although the proposed panels would be located on the rear roof slope, the rear portions of the property are readily visible from the public domain.

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"This consideration, in combination with the simple rustic nature of this vernacular property, leads me to conclude that the solar panels would be aesthetically harmful to the host building and, therefore, to the character or appearance of the conservation area."

Planning officers refused the application, saying the plans would be "aesthetically harmful to the host building" and that there was "no demonstrable public benefit that would outweigh this harm."