Do you need planning permission?

The general position

Fitting an air source heat pump or an air conditioning condenser at a domestic property in England is usually permitted development, so no planning application. That permission is conditional rather than open-ended.

The conditions cover where the unit sits in relation to boundaries and the highway, how big it is, how much noise it makes, and a requirement to take it down if it stops being used.

When you probably do need permission

Treat any of these as a reason to check before anyone quotes you.

• Listed buildings, which nearly always need consent, and often listed building consent as well as planning permission
• Conservation areas, where restrictions commonly apply to units on walls or roofs facing a highway
• Flats and maisonettes, where householder permitted development rights don't apply in the same way
• New-build estates with restrictive covenants, or anywhere with an Article 4 direction in force
• Any position where the unit would sit on a wall or roof facing a road

Doncaster and Bawtry both have conservation areas, as do big parts of Sheffield and York. If your property sits in one, we'll flag it before you commit to anything.

Noise, and being a good neighbour

Noise limits are part of the permitted development conditions. They're also the most common cause of neighbour trouble with these systems.

Siting matters far more than the decibel figure on the spec sheet. An outdoor unit tucked against a boundary fence under next door's bedroom window is a problem waiting to happen, whatever its rating.

We site for noise as a matter of course, and if the only workable spot is one we think you'll regret, we'll say so.