Solar panels, heat pumps and insulation in Oxton Village conservation area
In the Oxton Village conservation area (Wirral), 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 23 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. 706 homes inside the boundary have an energy certificate: 53.7% are solid-wall homes with no wall insulation, 87.4% heat with a gas boiler and 67.1% are rated D–G; 4 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
706homes with an energy certificate
53.7%solid walls, no insulation
87.4%heated by a gas boiler
4heat pumps
Article 4: Wirral 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 Oxton Village
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: 23 in the area (grade I: 0, 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: 45% 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 = 706)
Walls
Homes
Share
Solid wall (brick or stone), no insulation
379
53.7%
Cavity wall, unfilled
86
12.2%
Cavity wall, filled
85
12.0%
Cavity wall, insulated (as built or unspecified)
71
10.1%
Cavity wall, partly insulated
29
4.1%
Solid wall, internal insulation
14
2.0%
Solid wall, insulated
13
1.8%
Modern wall (U-value from the design)
11
1.6%
Solid wall, external insulation
5
0.7%
Timber frame
5
0.7%
Cavity wall, internal or external insulation
3
0.4%
Solid wall, partly insulated
3
0.4%
Other or not known
2
0.3%
Heating
Homes
Share
Gas boiler
617
87.4%
Electric (storage heaters, panels, boiler)
63
8.9%
Communal heating
20
2.8%
Heat pump
4
0.6%
LPG
1
0.1%
Solid fuel (wood, coal)
1
0.1%
Loft / roof insulation
Homes
Share
No insulation
94
13.3%
Under 200 mm
107
15.2%
200 mm or more
209
29.6%
Insulated (depth not recorded)
101
14.3%
Flat or other home above
189
26.8%
Other
6
0.8%
Windows
Homes
Share
Double glazed
621
88.0%
Single glazed
77
10.9%
Secondary glazing
8
1.1%
CDE
Energy rating: A 1 (0.1%) · B 19 (2.7%) · C 212 (30.0%) · D 304 (43.1%) · E 134 (19.0%) · F 34 (4.8%) · G 2 (0.3%). Houses and bungalows: 55% of the homes; solar panels on 0.3% of the certificates. Most common build period on the certificates: before 1900. Designated: 1 April 1979.
Compared with Wirral and England
Share of homes
Oxton Village
All 26 areas in Wirral
England
Solid walls, no insulation
53.7%
53.5%
48.7%
Gas boiler
87.4%
80.2%
66.4%
Rated D–G
67.1%
—
56.5%
Caveats
Certificates describe a home when it was assessed; 55% of these are from 2020 or later (latest 23 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 Wirral if in doubt.
Boundary: Wirral Borough Council via planning.data.gov.uk (entity 44013319, reference CH7, 45.4 ha); the council's appraisal or map. Homes are placed by the coordinates of their UPRN (OS Open UPRN); addresses are not shown.