Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Fareham High Street conservation area
In the Fareham High Street conservation area (Fareham), 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 84 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. 215 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 21.4% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 46.0% heat with a gas boiler and 53.5% are rated D–G; 2 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
215homes with an energy certificate
21.4%solid walls, no insulation
46.0%heated by a gas boiler
2heat pumps
Article 4: Fareham 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 Fareham High 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
No permission needed (permitted development)
Part 1 Class A, A.3(a)
Listed buildings: 84 in the area (grade I: 0, II*: 9). 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 = 215)
Walls
Homes
Share
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
78
36.3%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
46
21.4%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
37
17.2%
Cavity wall, unfilled
18
8.4%
Cavity wall, filled
11
5.1%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
10
4.7%
Timber frame
9
4.2%
Solid wall, insulated
4
1.9%
Solid wall, internal insulation
2
0.9%
Heating
Homes
Share
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
108
50.2%
Gas boiler
99
46.0%
Communal heating
6
2.8%
Heat pump
2
0.9%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
16
7.4%
Under 200 mm
33
15.3%
200 mm or more
27
12.6%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
24
11.2%
Flat or other home above
84
39.1%
Other
31
14.4%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
169
78.6%
Single glazed
40
18.6%
Secondary glazing
5
2.3%
Triple glazed
1
0.5%
BCDE
Energy rating: B 22 (10.2%) · C 78 (36.3%) · D 67 (31.2%) · E 36 (16.7%) · F 7 (3.3%) · G 5 (2.3%). Houses and bungalows: 27% of the homes; solar panels on 0.0% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: 1983-1990. Designated: 1 January 1969.
Compared with Fareham and England
Share of homes
Fareham High Street
All 13 areas in Fareham
England
Solid walls, no insulation
21.4%
28.7%
48.7%
Gas boiler
46.0%
78.9%
66.4%
Rated D–G
53.5%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 65% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 18 September 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 Fareham if in doubt.
Boundary: Fareham Borough Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44015921, reference 61, 17.1 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.