England abolishes planning permission for certain domestic air-source heat pump installations

The changes have been introduced with the 2011 Town and Country Planning Amendment Order (Statutory instrument 2011 No. 2056) that lays down the type of technologies and the conditions under which these may be classified as a “permitted development” in England that does not require planning permission by the local planning authority.

Certification and noise levels

According to the new rules, installations would need to comply with Microgeneration Installation Planning Standards for air source heat pumps, with some of the conditions including:

• The air-source heat pump product shall be certificated in accordance with Microgeneration Certification Scheme.

• The air-source heat pump shall be installed by an installation company certificated in accordance with Microgeneration Certification Scheme Installer Standard.

• A development noise limit of 42 dB, calculated using a predetermined procedure that takes into account background noise level and adjusted for dB reduction by solid barriers present in the installation site. The assessment position should be one metre external to the centre point of any door or window to a habitable room of a neighbouring property as measured perpendicular to the plane of the door or window.

Requirements regarding volume of the outdoor compressor unit & siting

Other conditions specified in the new rules include but are not limited to:

• The air-source heat pump should be used solely for heating purposes

• The volume of the air-source heat pump’s outdoor compressor unit (including any housing) should not exceed 0.6 cubic metres

• The installation of an air-source heat pump should not result in the presence of more than one air source heat pump on the same building or within the curtilage of the building or block of flats

• The air-source heat pump should be sited so as to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area and the external appearance of the building

Installations of air-source heat pumps that do not meet the various requirements may still go ahead if the local planning authority grants planning permission.

Ground- and water-source heat pumps

The installation, alteration or replacement of a ground- or water-source heat pump within the curtilage of a dwelling house or a block of flats without planning permission had already previously been established in England.