Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in St Ives conservation area
In the St Ives 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 152 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. 1,240 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 35.4% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 74.1% heat with a gas boiler and 49.5% are rated D–G; 18 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
1,240homes with an energy certificate
35.4%solid walls, no insulation
74.1%heated by a gas boiler
18heat 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 St Ives
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: 152 in the area (grade I: 3, II*: 2). 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: 44% 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 = 1,240)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
439
35.4%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
341
27.5%
Cavity wall, filled
152
12.3%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
132
10.6%
Timber frame
65
5.2%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
34
2.7%
Cavity wall, unfilled
27
2.2%
Solid wall, internal insulation
24
1.9%
Solid wall, external insulation
11
0.9%
Other or not known
6
0.5%
Solid wall, insulated
5
0.4%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
3
0.2%
Solid wall, partly insulated
1
0.1%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
919
74.1%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
235
19.0%
Communal heating
64
5.2%
Heat pump
18
1.5%
Oil
2
0.2%
LPG
1
0.1%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
100
8.1%
Under 200 mm
286
23.1%
200 mm or more
301
24.3%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
177
14.3%
Flat or other home above
281
22.7%
Other
95
7.7%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
1,116
90.0%
Single glazed
102
8.2%
Secondary glazing
19
1.5%
Other
2
0.2%
Triple glazed
1
0.1%
CDE
Energy rating: B 97 (7.8%) · C 529 (42.7%) · D 434 (35.0%) · E 150 (12.1%) · F 23 (1.9%) · G 7 (0.6%). Houses and bungalows: 56% of the homes; solar panels on 0.6% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 18 October 2007.
Compared with Huntingdonshire and England
Share of homes
St Ives
All 60 areas in Huntingdonshire
England
Solid walls, no insulation
35.4%
33.3%
48.7%
Gas boiler
74.1%
66.8%
66.4%
Rated D–G
49.5%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 55% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 21 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 44015664, reference CONARA/00057, 179.5 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.