Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Stow On The Wold With Maugersbury conservation area
In the Stow On The Wold With Maugersbury conservation area (Cotswold), external wall insulation needs planning permission, and so does an air source heat pump on a wall or roof facing the road; one at the back or side, internal and loft insulation and solar panels on a roof slope normally do not. The area has 125 listed buildings; on a listed building solar panels and heat pumps are not permitted development at all and need planning permission and listed building consent. 319 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 59.9% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 77.4% heat with a gas boiler and 73.4% are rated D–G; 8 have a heat pump. EPC register November 2026; rules as at 21 October 2026.
Data: EPC register November 2026 (latest certificate per home), conservation area boundaries 3 November 2026, permitted development rules as at 21 October 2026 · calculated 5 November 2026 · Methodology and sources
319homes with an energy certificate
59.9%solid walls, no insulation
77.4%heated by a gas boiler
8heat pumps
Article 4: Cotswold publishes its Article 4 areas on planning.data.gov.uk and none overlaps this area; a direction can still exist on paper, so check with the council.
What needs planning permission in Stow On The Wold With Maugersbury
Work (house, not listed)
In a conservation area
Rule
Air source heat pump on a wall or roof facing the road, or nearer the road than the house
Planning permission needed
Part 14 Class G, G.1(j)
Air source heat pump at the back or side (outdoor unit up to 1.5 m³, MCS Planning Standards, one per house — two on a detached house)
No permission needed (permitted development)
Part 14 Class G
Solar panels on a pitched roof (up to 0.2 m proud, not above the ridge)
No permission needed (permitted development)
Part 14 Class A, A.2(c)
Solar panels on a wall, balcony or roof enclosure facing the road
Planning permission needed
Part 14 Class A, A.2(e)
Solar panels on a flat roof (up to 0.6 m above the roof)
Replacement windows and doors of similar appearance
No permission needed (permitted development)
Part 1 Class A, A.3(a)
Listed buildings: 125 in the area (grade I: 1, II*: 4). The table is for houses that are not listed: on a listed building, solar panels and air source heat pumps are not permitted development at all (they need planning permission), and any of these works needs listed building consent.
Flats: 24% of the certified homes here are flats or maisonettes. Homes in a block of flats have no householder rights for alterations; heat pumps and solar have their own, tighter rules for blocks of flats.
The homes in the area (latest certificate per home, n = 319)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
191
59.9%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
49
15.4%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
22
6.9%
Solid wall, insulated
16
5.0%
Cavity wall, filled
13
4.1%
Cavity wall, unfilled
13
4.1%
Timber frame
7
2.2%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
4
1.3%
Solid wall, internal insulation
3
0.9%
Other or not known
1
0.3%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
247
77.4%
Oil
32
10.0%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
28
8.8%
Heat pump
8
2.5%
Communal heating
2
0.6%
LPG
1
0.3%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
1
0.3%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
66
20.7%
Under 200 mm
47
14.7%
200 mm or more
59
18.5%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
108
33.9%
Flat or other home above
24
7.5%
Other
15
4.7%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
272
85.3%
Single glazed
31
9.7%
Secondary glazing
15
4.7%
Triple glazed
1
0.3%
CDEF
Energy rating: B 7 (2.2%) · C 78 (24.5%) · D 145 (45.5%) · E 60 (18.8%) · F 26 (8.2%) · G 3 (0.9%). Houses and bungalows: 76% of the homes; solar panels on 0.9% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 4 November 1970.
Compared with Cotswold and England
Share of homes
Stow On The Wold With Maugersbury
All 144 areas in Cotswold
England
Solid walls, no insulation
59.9%
59.2%
48.7%
Gas boiler
77.4%
45.1%
66.4%
Rated D–G
73.4%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 57% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 24 October 2026). “No insulation (assumed)” is the assessor's default for older walls.
The rules are England's national permitted development rules (General Permitted Development Order 2015, Schedule 2, as at 21 October 2026). They do not cover building regulations or a council's own conditions. This is not a planning decision: ask Cotswold if in doubt.
Boundary: Cotswold District Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44014672, reference CONARA/050, 35.4 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.