Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Ely conservation area
In the Ely 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 9% 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 191 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. 2,066 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 38.4% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 78.3% heat with a gas boiler and 53.0% are rated D–G; 46 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
2,066homes with an energy certificate
38.4%solid walls, no insulation
78.3%heated by a gas boiler
46heat pumps
Article 4: An Article 4 direction published by East Cambridgeshire covers part of this area (about 9% 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. (1 & 19 Castlehythe, Ely; 1 Barton Road, Ely; 1 Cambridge Road, Ely; 1 Springhead Lane, Ely; 1 West Fen Road, Ely; 1, 3, 9, 11-15 (odds) Beech Lane, Ely)
What needs planning permission in Ely
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: 191 in the area (grade I: 25, II*: 7). 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: 34% 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 = 2,066)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
794
38.4%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
610
29.5%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
178
8.6%
Cavity wall, filled
139
6.7%
Cavity wall, unfilled
96
4.6%
Solid wall, internal insulation
74
3.6%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
70
3.4%
Timber frame
46
2.2%
Solid wall, insulated
23
1.1%
Solid wall, external insulation
21
1.0%
Other or not known
9
0.4%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
5
0.2%
Solid wall, partly insulated
1
0.0%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
1,617
78.3%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
333
16.1%
Communal heating
58
2.8%
Heat pump
46
2.2%
Oil
10
0.5%
LPG
1
0.0%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
1
0.0%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
130
6.3%
Under 200 mm
508
24.6%
200 mm or more
741
35.9%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
236
11.4%
Flat or other home above
313
15.2%
Other
137
6.6%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
1,881
91.0%
Single glazed
122
5.9%
Secondary glazing
62
3.0%
Triple glazed
1
0.0%
CDE
Energy rating: A 15 (0.7%) · B 154 (7.5%) · C 801 (38.8%) · D 712 (34.5%) · E 324 (15.7%) · F 53 (2.6%) · G 7 (0.3%). Houses and bungalows: 66% of the homes; solar panels on 1.4% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 10 May 1975.
Compared with East Cambridgeshire and England
Share of homes
Ely
All 28 areas in East Cambridgeshire
England
Solid walls, no insulation
38.4%
38.2%
48.7%
Gas boiler
78.3%
63.0%
66.4%
Rated D–G
53.0%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 51% 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 East Cambridgeshire if in doubt.
Boundary: East Cambridgeshire District Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44010182, reference 07/00089/CONARA, 199.3 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.