Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Burwell - North Street conservation area
In the Burwell - North Street conservation area (East Cambridgeshire), 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. An Article 4 direction published by East Cambridgeshire covers part of this area (about 7% of it) and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, alterations to the roof (e.g. rooflights), painting the outside, so there these need planning permission too. The area has 28 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. 329 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 29.5% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 89.7% heat with a gas boiler and 52.9% are rated D–G; 9 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
329homes with an energy certificate
29.5%solid walls, no insulation
89.7%heated by a gas boiler
9heat pumps
Article 4: An Article 4 direction published by East Cambridgeshire covers part of this area (about 7% of it) and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, alterations to the roof (e.g. rooflights), painting the outside, so there these need planning permission too. (100 Silver Street, Burwell; 14, 16, 18, 20 & 22 North Street, Burwell; 16, 18 & 20 (3) The Causeway, Burwell; 2 Laburnum Lane, Burwell; 25, 27, 29, 31, 33 & 35 Silver Street, Burwell; 26 North Street, Burwell)
What needs planning permission in Burwell - North Street
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
Inside the Article 4 part of the area: planning permission needed; elsewhere: no permission needed (permitted development)
Part 1 Class A, A.3(a)
Listed buildings: 28 in the area. 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: 9% 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 = 329)
Walls
Homes
Share
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
147
44.7%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
97
29.5%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
26
7.9%
Cavity wall, filled
19
5.8%
Cavity wall, unfilled
12
3.6%
Timber frame
10
3.0%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
5
1.5%
Solid wall, insulated
5
1.5%
Solid wall, internal insulation
4
1.2%
Other or not known
2
0.6%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
1
0.3%
Solid wall, external insulation
1
0.3%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
295
89.7%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
13
4.0%
Oil
11
3.3%
Heat pump
9
2.7%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
1
0.3%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
15
4.6%
Under 200 mm
98
29.8%
200 mm or more
115
35.0%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
58
17.6%
Flat or other home above
15
4.6%
Other
28
8.5%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
311
94.5%
Single glazed
14
4.3%
Secondary glazing
3
0.9%
Triple glazed
1
0.3%
CDE
Energy rating: A 5 (1.5%) · B 20 (6.1%) · C 130 (39.5%) · D 126 (38.3%) · E 32 (9.7%) · F 13 (4.0%) · G 3 (0.9%). Houses and bungalows: 91% of the homes; solar panels on 2.1% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 12 July 1974.
Compared with East Cambridgeshire and England
Share of homes
Burwell - North Street
All 28 areas in East Cambridgeshire
England
Solid walls, no insulation
29.5%
38.2%
48.7%
Gas boiler
89.7%
63.0%
66.4%
Rated D–G
52.9%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 42% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 5 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 East Cambridgeshire if in doubt.
Boundary: East Cambridgeshire District Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44010193, reference 06/00016/CONARA, 33.7 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.