Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in St Paul's conservation area
In the St Paul's conservation area (Leicester), 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 Leicester covers this area and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, alterations to the roof (e.g. rooflights), chimneys, flues and soil pipes, painting the outside, so there these need planning permission too. The area has 1 listed building; on a listed building solar panels and heat pumps are not permitted development at all and need planning permission and listed building consent. 381 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 69.0% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 65.9% heat with a gas boiler and 70.9% are rated D–G; 0 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
381homes with an energy certificate
69.0%solid walls, no insulation
65.9%heated by a gas boiler
0heat pumps
Article 4: An Article 4 direction published by Leicester covers this area and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, alterations to the roof (e.g. rooflights), chimneys, flues and soil pipes, painting the outside, so there these need planning permission too. (LL/192 354 - 364 Fosse Road North; LL/193 Estonian House 366 Fosse Road North; LL/197 St Andrew's Methodist Church & Hall, Glenfield Road East; LL/349 St Paul's Former Vicarage, Kirby Road; Leicester City Council HMO Article 4 Direction 2021; St Paul's Conservation Area)
What needs planning permission in St Paul's
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: 1 in the area. 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: 62% 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 = 381)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
263
69.0%
Solid wall, internal insulation
44
11.5%
Timber frame
27
7.1%
Cavity wall, unfilled
15
3.9%
Solid wall, insulated
10
2.6%
Cavity wall, filled
9
2.4%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
8
2.1%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
2
0.5%
Solid wall, external insulation
2
0.5%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
1
0.3%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
251
65.9%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
117
30.7%
Communal heating
13
3.4%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
52
13.6%
Under 200 mm
59
15.5%
200 mm or more
103
27.0%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
29
7.6%
Flat or other home above
134
35.2%
Other
4
1.0%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
327
85.8%
Single glazed
51
13.4%
Secondary glazing
3
0.8%
CDE
Energy rating: B 2 (0.5%) · C 109 (28.6%) · D 186 (48.8%) · E 74 (19.4%) · F 6 (1.6%) · G 4 (1.0%). Houses and bungalows: 38% of the homes; solar panels on 0.0% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: 1900-1929. Designated: 7 June 2022.
Compared with Leicester and England
Share of homes
St Paul's
All 25 areas in Leicester
England
Solid walls, no insulation
69.0%
43.4%
48.7%
Gas boiler
65.9%
45.7%
66.4%
Rated D–G
70.9%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 62% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 22 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 Leicester if in doubt.
Boundary: Leicester City Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44012367, reference PL_v1, 11.7 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.