Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Castle Acre conservation area
In the Castle Acre conservation area (King's Lynn and West Norfolk), 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 23 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. 198 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 44.9% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 1.0% heat with a gas boiler and 79.8% are rated D–G; 13 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
198homes with an energy certificate
44.9%solid walls, no insulation
1.0%heated by a gas boiler
13heat pumps
Article 4: King's Lynn and West Norfolk 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 Castle Acre
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: 23 in the area (grade I: 5, II*: 1). 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: 0% 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 = 198)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
89
44.9%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
40
20.2%
Cavity wall, filled
29
14.6%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
11
5.6%
Cavity wall, unfilled
8
4.0%
Solid wall, internal insulation
8
4.0%
Solid wall, insulated
5
2.5%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
4
2.0%
Other or not known
3
1.5%
Timber frame
1
0.5%
Heating
Homes
Share
Oil
112
56.6%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
47
23.7%
Heat pump
13
6.6%
Communal heating
10
5.1%
LPG
9
4.5%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
5
2.5%
Gas boiler
2
1.0%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
12
6.1%
Under 200 mm
54
27.3%
200 mm or more
97
49.0%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
24
12.1%
Other
11
5.6%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
173
87.4%
Single glazed
16
8.1%
Secondary glazing
9
4.5%
CDEF
Energy rating: B 6 (3.0%) · C 34 (17.2%) · D 78 (39.4%) · E 48 (24.2%) · F 27 (13.6%) · G 5 (2.5%). Houses and bungalows: 100% of the homes; solar panels on 3.0% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 1 April 1971.
Compared with King's Lynn and West Norfolk and England
Share of homes
Castle Acre
All 43 areas in King's Lynn and West Norfolk
England
Solid walls, no insulation
44.9%
48.8%
48.7%
Gas boiler
1.0%
35.4%
66.4%
Rated D–G
79.8%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 44% 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 King's Lynn and West Norfolk if in doubt.
Boundary: Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44015990, reference CONS74/0456, 45.9 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.