Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in The Sea Front, Southsea conservation area
In the The Sea Front, Southsea conservation area (Portsmouth), 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 20 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. 848 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 34.8% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 74.5% heat with a gas boiler and 44.9% are rated D–G; 3 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
848homes with an energy certificate
34.8%solid walls, no insulation
74.5%heated by a gas boiler
3heat pumps
Article 4: Portsmouth does not publish Article 4 areas on planning.data.gov.uk — check with the council.
What needs planning permission in The Sea Front, Southsea
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), unless an Article 4 direction removes it — check with the council
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), unless an Article 4 direction removes it — check with the council
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)
Prior approval of appearance from the council, unless an Article 4 direction removes it — check with the council
Replacement windows and doors of similar appearance
No permission needed (permitted development), unless an Article 4 direction removes it — check with the council
Part 1 Class A, A.3(a)
Listed buildings: 20 in the area (grade I: 1, II*: 0). 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: 97% 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 = 848)
Walls
Homes
Share
Cavity wall, unfilled
374
44.1%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
295
34.8%
Other or not known
33
3.9%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
32
3.8%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
30
3.5%
Timber frame
29
3.4%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
20
2.4%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
9
1.1%
Solid wall, internal insulation
9
1.1%
Cavity wall, filled
8
0.9%
Solid wall, insulated
7
0.8%
Solid wall, partly insulated
2
0.2%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
632
74.5%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
157
18.5%
Communal heating
55
6.5%
Heat pump
3
0.4%
LPG
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
72
8.5%
Under 200 mm
37
4.4%
200 mm or more
20
2.4%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
49
5.8%
Flat or other home above
652
76.9%
Other
18
2.1%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
780
92.0%
Single glazed
59
7.0%
Secondary glazing
6
0.7%
Triple glazed
3
0.4%
CDE
Energy rating: A 1 (0.1%) · B 27 (3.2%) · C 439 (51.8%) · D 281 (33.1%) · E 92 (10.8%) · F 6 (0.7%) · G 2 (0.2%). Houses and bungalows: 3% of the homes; solar panels on 0.1% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: 1900-1929. Designated: 4 November 1971.
Compared with Portsmouth and England
Share of homes
The Sea Front, Southsea
All 25 areas in Portsmouth
England
Solid walls, no insulation
34.8%
15.7%
48.7%
Gas boiler
74.5%
66.9%
66.4%
Rated D–G
44.9%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 56% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 26 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 Portsmouth if in doubt.
Boundary: Portsmouth City Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44002081, reference 2654, 100.9 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.