Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Weymouth Town Centre conservation area
In the Weymouth Town Centre conservation area (Dorset), 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 360 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. 2,293 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 38.2% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 60.5% heat with a gas boiler and 53.8% are rated D–G; 21 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
2,293homes with an energy certificate
38.2%solid walls, no insulation
60.5%heated by a gas boiler
21heat pumps
Article 4: Dorset 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 Weymouth Town Centre
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: 360 in the area (grade I: 2, II*: 13). 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: 73% 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 = 2,293)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
876
38.2%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
378
16.5%
Cavity wall, unfilled
365
15.9%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
254
11.1%
Timber frame
150
6.5%
Cavity wall, filled
69
3.0%
Solid wall, insulated
66
2.9%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
61
2.7%
Solid wall, internal insulation
40
1.7%
Solid wall, partly insulated
26
1.1%
Other or not known
6
0.3%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
2
0.1%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
1,387
60.5%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
822
35.8%
Communal heating
61
2.7%
Heat pump
21
0.9%
LPG
1
0.0%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
1
0.0%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
323
14.1%
Under 200 mm
291
12.7%
200 mm or more
259
11.3%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
261
11.4%
Flat or other home above
995
43.4%
Other
164
7.2%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
1,848
80.6%
Single glazed
357
15.6%
Secondary glazing
83
3.6%
Triple glazed
4
0.2%
Other
1
0.0%
CDE
Energy rating: B 174 (7.6%) · C 885 (38.6%) · D 777 (33.9%) · E 363 (15.8%) · F 61 (2.7%) · G 33 (1.4%). Houses and bungalows: 27% of the homes; solar panels on 0.3% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 13 November 1974.
Compared with Dorset and England
Share of homes
Weymouth Town Centre
All 311 areas in Dorset
England
Solid walls, no insulation
38.2%
37.3%
48.7%
Gas boiler
60.5%
60.1%
66.4%
Rated D–G
53.8%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 53% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 30 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 Dorset if in doubt.
Boundary: Dorset Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44013892, reference WEYM, 88.8 ha). Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.