Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Newcastle Town Centre conservation area
In the Newcastle Town Centre conservation area (Newcastle-under-Lyme), 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 45 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. 594 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 10.8% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 14.5% heat with a gas boiler and 17.5% are rated D–G; 7 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
594homes with an energy certificate
10.8%solid walls, no insulation
14.5%heated by a gas boiler
7heat pumps
Article 4: Newcastle-under-Lyme 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 Newcastle Town Centre
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: 45 in the area (grade I: 0, 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: 95% 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 = 594)
Walls
Homes
Share
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
444
74.7%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
64
10.8%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
38
6.4%
Solid wall, insulated
16
2.7%
Solid wall, internal insulation
15
2.5%
Cavity wall, unfilled
7
1.2%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
4
0.7%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
3
0.5%
Timber frame
2
0.3%
Cavity wall, filled
1
0.2%
Heating
Homes
Share
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
470
79.1%
Gas boiler
86
14.5%
Communal heating
31
5.2%
Heat pump
7
1.2%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
17
2.9%
Under 200 mm
20
3.4%
200 mm or more
29
4.9%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
31
5.2%
Flat or other home above
422
71.0%
Other
75
12.6%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
568
95.6%
Single glazed
24
4.0%
Secondary glazing
1
0.2%
Triple glazed
1
0.2%
BCD
Energy rating: A 11 (1.9%) · B 269 (45.3%) · C 210 (35.4%) · D 76 (12.8%) · E 23 (3.9%) · F 4 (0.7%) · G 1 (0.2%). Houses and bungalows: 5% of the homes; solar panels on 0.0% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: 2020. Designated: 1 November 1973.
Compared with Newcastle-under-Lyme and England
Share of homes
Newcastle Town Centre
All 22 areas in Newcastle-under-Lyme
England
Solid walls, no insulation
10.8%
29.9%
48.7%
Gas boiler
14.5%
59.0%
66.4%
Rated D–G
17.5%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 64% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 31 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 Newcastle-under-Lyme if in doubt.
Boundary: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44016211, reference CA13, 22.6 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.