Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Houldsworth conservation area
In the Houldsworth conservation area (Stockport), 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. 758 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 21.2% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 43.9% heat with a gas boiler and 44.5% 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
758homes with an energy certificate
21.2%solid walls, no insulation
43.9%heated by a gas boiler
0heat pumps
Article 4: Stockport 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 Houldsworth
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 (grade I: 1, II*: 7). 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: 65% 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 = 758)
Walls
Homes
Share
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
210
27.7%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
161
21.2%
Solid wall, insulated
126
16.6%
Cavity wall, filled
81
10.7%
Cavity wall, unfilled
78
10.3%
Other or not known
48
6.3%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
23
3.0%
Solid wall, internal insulation
23
3.0%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
8
1.1%
Heating
Homes
Share
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
423
55.8%
Gas boiler
333
43.9%
Communal heating
1
0.1%
LPG
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
47
6.2%
Under 200 mm
85
11.2%
200 mm or more
119
15.7%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
74
9.8%
Flat or other home above
306
40.4%
Other
127
16.8%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
751
99.1%
Single glazed
6
0.8%
Triple glazed
1
0.1%
BCDE
Energy rating: A 3 (0.4%) · B 81 (10.7%) · C 337 (44.5%) · D 255 (33.6%) · E 69 (9.1%) · F 11 (1.5%) · G 2 (0.3%). Houses and bungalows: 35% of the homes; solar panels on 0.4% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: 2019. Designated: 1 January 1981.
Compared with Stockport and England
Share of homes
Houldsworth
All 37 areas in Stockport
England
Solid walls, no insulation
21.2%
30.6%
48.7%
Gas boiler
43.9%
73.3%
66.4%
Rated D–G
44.5%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 39% 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 Stockport if in doubt.
Boundary: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44014600, reference 16, 22.2 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.