Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Brixham Town conservation area
In the Brixham Town conservation area (Torbay), 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 107 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. 1,410 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 63.4% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 68.3% heat with a gas boiler and 76.9% 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
1,410homes with an energy certificate
63.4%solid walls, no insulation
68.3%heated by a gas boiler
10heat pumps
Article 4: Torbay 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 Brixham 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
No permission needed (permitted development)
Part 1 Class A, A.3(a)
Listed buildings: 107 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: 47% 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 = 1,410)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
894
63.4%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
154
10.9%
Cavity wall, unfilled
95
6.7%
Timber frame
82
5.8%
Solid wall, internal insulation
47
3.3%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
40
2.8%
Solid wall, insulated
38
2.7%
Cavity wall, filled
22
1.6%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
22
1.6%
Other or not known
7
0.5%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
5
0.4%
Solid wall, partly insulated
2
0.1%
Solid wall, external insulation
1
0.1%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
963
68.3%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
382
27.1%
Communal heating
51
3.6%
Heat pump
10
0.7%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
3
0.2%
LPG
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
377
26.7%
Under 200 mm
207
14.7%
200 mm or more
172
12.2%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
270
19.1%
Flat or other home above
350
24.8%
Other
34
2.4%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
1,329
94.3%
Single glazed
68
4.8%
Secondary glazing
12
0.9%
Triple glazed
1
0.1%
CDE
Energy rating: B 41 (2.9%) · C 285 (20.2%) · D 594 (42.1%) · E 358 (25.4%) · F 93 (6.6%) · G 39 (2.8%). Houses and bungalows: 53% of the homes; solar panels on 0.4% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 24 August 1971.
Compared with Torbay and England
Share of homes
Brixham Town
All 24 areas in Torbay
England
Solid walls, no insulation
63.4%
49.2%
48.7%
Gas boiler
68.3%
61.0%
66.4%
Rated D–G
76.9%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 50% 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 Torbay if in doubt.
Boundary: Torbay Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44002715, reference CA12, 51.8 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.