Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Ramsey and Bury conservation area
In the Ramsey and Bury conservation area (Huntingdonshire), 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 58 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. 1,229 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 26.4% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 79.3% heat with a gas boiler and 44.3% are rated D–G; 35 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
1,229homes with an energy certificate
26.4%solid walls, no insulation
79.3%heated by a gas boiler
35heat pumps
Article 4: Huntingdonshire 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 Ramsey and Bury
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: 58 in the area (grade I: 4, II*: 3). 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: 32% 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 = 1,229)
Walls
Homes
Share
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
417
33.9%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
325
26.4%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
231
18.8%
Cavity wall, filled
104
8.5%
Timber frame
56
4.6%
Cavity wall, unfilled
31
2.5%
Solid wall, internal insulation
22
1.8%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
19
1.5%
Solid wall, insulated
12
1.0%
Other or not known
6
0.5%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
5
0.4%
Solid wall, external insulation
1
0.1%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
974
79.3%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
194
15.8%
Heat pump
35
2.8%
Oil
15
1.2%
Communal heating
10
0.8%
LPG
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
62
5.0%
Under 200 mm
318
25.9%
200 mm or more
348
28.3%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
127
10.3%
Flat or other home above
164
13.3%
Other
210
17.1%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
1,156
94.1%
Single glazed
51
4.1%
Secondary glazing
20
1.6%
Triple glazed
2
0.2%
BCDE
Energy rating: A 2 (0.2%) · B 210 (17.1%) · C 472 (38.4%) · D 331 (26.9%) · E 172 (14.0%) · F 35 (2.8%) · G 7 (0.6%). Houses and bungalows: 68% of the homes; solar panels on 1.2% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: 1983-1990. Designated: 15 December 2005.
Compared with Huntingdonshire and England
Share of homes
Ramsey and Bury
All 60 areas in Huntingdonshire
England
Solid walls, no insulation
26.4%
33.3%
48.7%
Gas boiler
79.3%
66.8%
66.4%
Rated D–G
44.3%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 54% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 28 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 Huntingdonshire if in doubt.
Boundary: Huntingdonshire District Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44015657, reference CONARA/00055, 252.9 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.