Anger over 'ugly' solar panels on historic canal houses

TALL ORDER. The millions of tourists who visit Amsterdam every year will soon be seeing solar panels on the roofs of the city's famous canal houses, much to the dismay of heritage protection associations. Picture: AFP

Amsterdam - The city of Amsterdam's world-famous canal-side houses will soon be allowed to have visible solar panels on their roofs, much to the dismay of local heritage groups, who say they will be an eyesore.

The Dutch capital's tall, thin historic houses dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries are poorly insulated and energy-hungry.

Solar panels are already allowed on roofs of protected buildings, so long as they cannot be seen from the street. But, now, the local council wants to relax the rules further in a bid to make the mansions more sustainable.

Starting next year, the Amsterdam council is allowing panels to be "visibly installed on all roofs of monuments and buildings located in protected areas".

But heritage activist Karel Loeff is up in arms at the change.