Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Salisbury (CA/S/44b) conservation area
In the Salisbury conservation area (Wiltshire), 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 22 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. 764 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 26.7% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 63.4% heat with a gas boiler and 42.9% are rated D–G; 2 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
764homes with an energy certificate
26.7%solid walls, no insulation
63.4%heated by a gas boiler
2heat pumps
Article 4: Wiltshire 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 Salisbury
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: 22 in the area (grade I: 1, II*: 1). 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: 53% 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 = 764)
Walls
Homes
Share
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
225
29.5%
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
204
26.7%
Cavity wall, unfilled
132
17.3%
Cavity wall, filled
76
9.9%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
67
8.8%
Timber frame
22
2.9%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
15
2.0%
Solid wall, internal insulation
13
1.7%
Solid wall, insulated
5
0.7%
Other or not known
3
0.4%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
2
0.3%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
484
63.4%
Communal heating
168
22.0%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
107
14.0%
Heat pump
2
0.3%
Oil
2
0.3%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
68
8.9%
Under 200 mm
156
20.4%
200 mm or more
112
14.7%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
59
7.7%
Flat or other home above
255
33.4%
Other
113
14.8%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
714
93.5%
Single glazed
40
5.2%
Secondary glazing
10
1.3%
BCDE
Energy rating: B 197 (25.8%) · C 239 (31.3%) · D 219 (28.7%) · E 85 (11.1%) · F 20 (2.6%) · G 4 (0.5%). Houses and bungalows: 47% of the homes; solar panels on 0.1% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 14 February 1975.
Compared with Wiltshire and England
Share of homes
Salisbury
All 244 areas in Wiltshire
England
Solid walls, no insulation
26.7%
42.5%
48.7%
Gas boiler
63.4%
45.5%
66.4%
Rated D–G
42.9%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 59% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 22 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 Wiltshire if in doubt.
Boundary: Wiltshire Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44015399, reference CA/S/44b, 41.8 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.