Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Kensington Palace conservation area
In the Kensington Palace conservation area (Kensington and Chelsea), 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 Kensington and Chelsea covers this area and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, so there these need planning permission too. The area has 52 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. 1,021 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 79.7% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 56.2% heat with a gas boiler and 50.0% are rated D–G; 8 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
1,021homes with an energy certificate
79.7%solid walls, no insulation
56.2%heated by a gas boiler
8heat pumps
Article 4: An Article 4 direction published by Kensington and Chelsea covers this area and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, so there these need planning permission too. (Article 4 - No 100; Article 4 - No 106; Article 4 - No 40A; Article 4 - No 57; Article 4 - No 65; Article 4 - No 7)
What needs planning permission in Kensington Palace
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
Planning permission needed (an Article 4 direction here removes this right)
Part 1 Class A, A.3(a)
Listed buildings: 52 in the area (grade I: 2, II*: 6). 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: 87% 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 = 1,021)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
814
79.7%
Other or not known
61
6.0%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
33
3.2%
Cavity wall, unfilled
27
2.6%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
22
2.2%
Solid wall, internal insulation
20
2.0%
Timber frame
18
1.8%
Solid wall, insulated
13
1.3%
Solid wall, partly insulated
8
0.8%
Solid wall, external insulation
3
0.3%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
2
0.2%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
574
56.2%
Communal heating
367
35.9%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
71
7.0%
Heat pump
8
0.8%
Oil
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
166
16.3%
Under 200 mm
43
4.2%
200 mm or more
6
0.6%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
79
7.7%
Flat or other home above
696
68.2%
Other
31
3.0%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
482
47.2%
Single glazed
383
37.5%
Secondary glazing
141
13.8%
Triple glazed
15
1.5%
CDE
Energy rating: B 52 (5.1%) · C 458 (44.9%) · D 386 (37.8%) · E 108 (10.6%) · F 14 (1.4%) · G 3 (0.3%). Houses and bungalows: 13% of the homes; solar panels on 0.0% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 1 January 1971.
Compared with Kensington and Chelsea and England
Share of homes
Kensington Palace
All 44 areas in Kensington and Chelsea
England
Solid walls, no insulation
79.7%
79.7%
48.7%
Gas boiler
56.2%
72.9%
66.4%
Rated D–G
50.0%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 57% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 6 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 Kensington and Chelsea if in doubt.
Boundary: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44012765, reference 7, 45.5 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.