Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Sceaux Gardens conservation area
In the Sceaux Gardens conservation area (Southwark), 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 10 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. 378 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 23.0% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 28.8% heat with a gas boiler and 52.9% 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
378homes with an energy certificate
23.0%solid walls, no insulation
28.8%heated by a gas boiler
0heat pumps
Article 4: Southwark 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 Sceaux Gardens
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: 10 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: 94% 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 = 378)
Walls
Homes
Share
Other or not known
153
40.5%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
87
23.0%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
42
11.1%
Cavity wall, filled
25
6.6%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
23
6.1%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
12
3.2%
Solid wall, internal insulation
11
2.9%
Cavity wall, unfilled
8
2.1%
Solid wall, partly insulated
7
1.9%
Timber frame
6
1.6%
Solid wall, insulated
3
0.8%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
1
0.3%
Heating
Homes
Share
Communal heating
225
59.5%
Gas boiler
109
28.8%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
44
11.6%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
49
13.0%
Under 200 mm
10
2.6%
200 mm or more
6
1.6%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
48
12.7%
Flat or other home above
246
65.1%
Other
19
5.0%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
289
76.5%
Single glazed
87
23.0%
Secondary glazing
2
0.5%
BCDE
Energy rating: B 43 (11.4%) · C 135 (35.7%) · D 141 (37.3%) · E 46 (12.2%) · F 10 (2.6%) · G 3 (0.8%). Houses and bungalows: 6% of the homes; solar panels on 0.0% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: 1950-1966. Designated: 27 September 1968.
Compared with Southwark and England
Share of homes
Sceaux Gardens
All 56 areas in Southwark
England
Solid walls, no insulation
23.0%
56.7%
48.7%
Gas boiler
28.8%
71.3%
66.4%
Rated D–G
52.9%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 37% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 18 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 Southwark if in doubt.
Boundary: London Borough of Southwark via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44010225, reference 10, 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.