Heat Pump Planning Permission UK

For most homeowners, installing an air source heat pump is permitted development — meaning no planning application, no fee, and no wait for a decision. But the rules have changed. A statutory instrument that came into force on 29 May 2025 removed the one-metre boundary setback requirement that had long complicated tight urban plots. Combined with the Government’s Warm Homes Plan ambition to streamline installations, the planning picture for heat pumps is now significantly clearer — though edge cases remain.

What is permitted development for heat pumps?

Permitted development (PD) rights are a standing grant of planning permission for certain works on residential buildings. You do not need to submit a planning application, but you must still meet every condition. For heat pumps in England, the relevant class is Class G of Part 14, Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (GPDO). The conditions cover siting, noise, and the number of units permitted per property.

Scotland and Wales have parallel frameworks. In Scotland, Class 6HC of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2024 covers heat pump installations on dwellings. In Wales, the rules are set by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (Wales). The discussion below focuses on England except where noted — the 2025 boundary rule change applies to England only.

The 2025 change: the one-metre rule is gone

The single biggest practical change is the removal of the one-metre boundary setback. Before 29 May 2025, an air source heat pump outdoor unit could not be installed within one metre of the boundary of the property under permitted development. On narrow urban plots, this effectively ruled out side-return and rear-corner positions — often the only viable locations on a terraced or semi-detached home with a small garden.

The statutory instrument amending the GPDO came into force on 29 May 2025, scrapping the one-metre distance requirement. Heat pump outdoor units can now be positioned right up to the boundary line under permitted development, provided all other conditions are met. This applies to dwellings in England; Scotland and Wales were not part of this instrument.

At the same time, permitted development rules for EV charge points were also relaxed — a signal that the Government is removing friction across the whole low-carbon domestic-technology stack. If you are also considering a home EV charger, the same planning-simplification logic applies.

What conditions still apply in England?

The boundary rule removal does not open the door to unlimited permitted development. The remaining Class G conditions must all be met:

Only one unit per property under PD. A second heat pump unit requires a planning application.
Noise limit: 42 dB(A) at one metre from a neighbour’s window or door. This is the measurement standard that MCS-certified installers assess during site surveys. Most modern units from established manufacturers comfortably meet it, but siting matters: positioning the unit facing a neighbour’s window at close range can push noise levels up.
Listed buildings and their curtilage are excluded. Permitted development rights for heat pumps do not apply to listed buildings; you will need listed building consent and, in many cases, full planning permission. The heat pump’s visual and physical impact on the fabric of the building is assessed as part of the consent process.
Conservation areas: wall-facing-highway restriction. In a conservation area (or World Heritage Site), a heat pump may not be installed on a wall that fronts a highway. Rear-of-property siting is generally fine under PD.
The unit must not be installed on a pitched roof or flat roof. Class G covers ground-level and wall-bracket installations only. If a roof position is genuinely the only viable site, a planning application is required.
Visual impact must be minimised so far as practicable. This is a qualitative condition, but in practice any MCS-certified installer will site the unit to minimise its prominence from the street.
The unit must be removed when no longer required. Standard condition across all PD microgeneration equipment.

If you want to understand whether a heat pump is the right heating system for your home before diving into planning details, the guide to the best air source heat pumps in the UK covers efficiency ratings, costs, and which models suit which property types.

Scotland and Wales

Scotland

In Scotland, Class 6HC covers air source heat pump installations on dwellinghouses. An outdoor unit is permitted development provided it is not installed on a roof, is not within the front curtilage of the property, does not protrude beyond the boundary of the curtilage, and meets equivalent noise conditions. The 2025 English boundary-rule change does not apply — the Scottish framework already differs, and there was no equivalent amendment for Scotland in 2025. Check with your local planning authority if siting is tight on a Scottish property.

Wales

Wales broadly mirrors the English framework for residential heat pump PD rights, but the statutory amendment that removed the boundary setback on 29 May 2025 was an England-only instrument. Welsh homeowners should verify the current boundary conditions with their local planning authority or an MCS installer familiar with the Welsh rules.

The Warm Homes Plan and the 3-day installation aspiration

The Government has set an aspiration in its Warm Homes Plan to enable standard heat pump installations to be completed within three days of the installer and consumer agreeing a final quote. This is an ambition, not an enacted regulation — it reflects the Government’s broader target to scale up heat pump deployment towards 600,000 units per year by the end of the decade. The planning simplification (removing the boundary setback) is one part of reducing friction in that pathway; MCS process improvements and grid connection streamlining are others.

The Warm Homes Plan also sets out continued support for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), which provides grants of up to £7,500 toward air source heat pump installations and £7,500 for ground source heat pumps. BUS is administered by Ofgem; to access the grant, your installer must be MCS-certified and the property must meet eligibility criteria. The grant does not depend on how close to the boundary the unit is sited — it is separate from the planning framework entirely.

When do you still need planning permission?

Despite the 2025 simplifications, a planning application is still required in several scenarios:

Listed buildings. No PD rights; you need both planning permission and listed building consent.
Properties subject to an Article 4 Direction removing PD rights. Article 4 Directions are used in conservation-sensitive areas to require consent for works that would otherwise be PD. Check with your local planning authority.
Second heat pump unit. Only one unit per dwelling is PD; a second requires full planning consent.
Roof-mounted units. Not permitted under Class G; a planning application is needed.
Failure to meet the noise condition. If a proposed siting would exceed 42 dB(A) at one metre from a neighbour’s window or door, the installation is not PD at that location and a planning application would be required to argue for it.
Conservation area, wall fronting a highway. The unit cannot be on a wall or in a position facing a highway; if that’s the only viable site, planning consent is needed.

For properties with planning restrictions, many homeowners find that a hybrid heat pump system — pairing a heat pump with an existing gas boiler — can reduce the size and visual impact of the outdoor unit, which sometimes makes siting more straightforward on constrained plots.

Ground source heat pumps

Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) have their own PD provisions under Class G, though the primary planning concern is not the outdoor unit (which is absent — the pipework runs underground) but the ground loop or borehole installation. Horizontal ground loops on a typical garden can generally be installed without planning permission, though you should notify your local planning authority. Vertical boreholes are more complex and may require permits under the Infrastructure Act. If a GSHP is under consideration, your installer will carry out a ground survey and advise on any consents needed.

MCS certification and planning permission

MCS certification and planning permission are entirely separate requirements. MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) certification is the quality and safety standard for the installer and equipment — it is required to access the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant and is the mark of a reputable installer. It has no bearing on planning law. You need to satisfy both independently: confirm your planning position, then check your installer is MCS-certified.

In practice, a competent MCS-certified installer will assess planning compliance as part of a site survey — including siting the unit to meet the noise condition. If you are unsure whether your property is a listed building or subject to an Article 4 Direction, the Historic England National Heritage List for England (historicengland.org.uk) and your LPA’s planning portal are the authoritative sources.

How this compares to solar panel planning rules

If you are considering both a heat pump and solar panels, it is worth noting that the planning frameworks are separate. Solar PV on a pitched roof has its own PD conditions under Part 14 of the GPDO, including a 200mm protrusion limit and a ridge-height cap. The changes made in May 2025 were specific to heat pumps (and EV chargers) — the solar panel planning permission rules were not amended at the same time. Both technologies can, in most cases, be installed under PD on a standard semi-detached or terraced house, but the conditions are different and should be checked separately.

Practical checklist before installation

Before your installer visits for a survey, it is worth running through these checks:

Is your home a listed building? Check the Historic England National Heritage List for England or your LPA’s records.
Is your property in a conservation area? Your LPA’s policies map will confirm this.
Is there an Article 4 Direction in your street or area? A call or email to the LPA’s duty planning officer can confirm quickly.
Can the unit be sited at ground level or wall-mounted (not on the roof)?
Will the proposed position meet the 42 dB(A) noise condition? Your MCS-certified installer will assess this during the survey.
Is this your first heat pump on the property? A second would require planning consent.
Are you in England? If Scotland or Wales, verify the current local conditions with your installer or LPA.

If you tick all six boxes, you are almost certainly permitted development — and with the one-metre boundary rule now removed, the range of valid installation positions on tight urban plots is significantly wider than it was before May 2025. When you are ready to move forward, getting quotes from MCS-certified installers is the natural next step; they will carry out a full site survey, confirm your planning position, and assess the noise conditions as part of their proposal.

Sources — verified 7 June 2026

PV Magazine, “New UK planning rules for heat pumps come into force — one-meter rule scrapped” (29 May 2025) — pv-magazine.com
GOV.UK, “Warm Homes Plan” — gov.uk
Propertymark, “Planning restrictions scrapped for heat pumps and EV chargers” — propertymark.co.uk
legislation.gov.uk, “Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 14, Class G — Air source heat pumps” — legislation.gov.uk
Ofgem, “Boiler Upgrade Scheme” — ofgem.gov.uk
gov.scot, “Circular 1/2024: Householder Permitted Development Rights — Section 6, Installing Microgeneration Equipment” — gov.scot
MCS, “MCS Certification Scheme” — mcscertified.com