Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Faversham - Faversham Town conservation area
In the Faversham - Faversham Town conservation area (Swale), 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 Swale covers part of this area (about 5% of it) and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, alterations to the roof (e.g. rooflights), painting the outside, so there these need planning permission too. The area has 290 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. 2,466 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 46.1% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 82.6% heat with a gas boiler and 68.4% are rated D–G; 10 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
2,466homes with an energy certificate
46.1%solid walls, no insulation
82.6%heated by a gas boiler
10heat pumps
Article 4: An Article 4 direction published by Swale covers part of this area (about 5% of it) and removes permitted development rights for replacement windows and doors, and other alterations to the house, alterations to the roof (e.g. rooflights), painting the outside, so there these need planning permission too. (20 East Street; Faversham Conservation Area; Faversham Conservation Area (unit 8, Granville House))
What needs planning permission in Faversham - Faversham Town
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
Inside the Article 4 part of the area: planning permission needed; elsewhere: no permission needed (permitted development)
Part 1 Class A, A.3(a)
Listed buildings: 290 in the area (grade I: 3, II*: 19). 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: 24% 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 = 2,466)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
1,138
46.1%
Cavity wall, unfilled
323
13.1%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
317
12.9%
Cavity wall, filled
257
10.4%
Timber frame
119
4.8%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
114
4.6%
Solid wall, insulated
65
2.6%
Solid wall, internal insulation
56
2.3%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
43
1.7%
Other or not known
24
1.0%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
5
0.2%
Solid wall, external insulation
3
0.1%
Solid wall, partly insulated
2
0.1%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
2,038
82.6%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
326
13.2%
Communal heating
72
2.9%
Heat pump
10
0.4%
Oil
8
0.3%
Other
6
0.2%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
5
0.2%
LPG
1
0.0%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
474
19.2%
Under 200 mm
736
29.8%
200 mm or more
618
25.1%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
240
9.7%
Flat or other home above
288
11.7%
Other
110
4.5%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
1,984
80.5%
Single glazed
376
15.2%
Secondary glazing
101
4.1%
Other
4
0.2%
Triple glazed
1
0.0%
CDE
Energy rating: A 6 (0.2%) · B 104 (4.2%) · C 670 (27.2%) · D 1,125 (45.6%) · E 469 (19.0%) · F 74 (3.0%) · G 18 (0.7%). Houses and bungalows: 76% of the homes; solar panels on 0.2% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 9 March 1976.
Compared with Swale and England
Share of homes
Faversham - Faversham Town
All 52 areas in Swale
England
Solid walls, no insulation
46.1%
48.7%
48.7%
Gas boiler
82.6%
76.3%
66.4%
Rated D–G
68.4%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 49% 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 Swale if in doubt.
Boundary: Swale Borough Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44016693, reference CA-SWL-13, 201.1 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.