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Greater Cambridge Shared Planning

Retrofitting planning guidance for homes

This checklist is to help people understand when and if planning is needed to make their homes more sustainable.  

Retrofitting helps the country reduce its carbon emissions.

Here you will find guidance on sustainable technologies sorted into three groups with information on when planning permission is needed or whether the proposal would be permitted development

The 3 main planning designations are:

You can go straight to the relevant advice for each of the above property types using the links above.

At the end of this section are details on how to apply for planning permission if your changes require it. This guide relates solely to the planning process, you may wish to check whether any other permissions and consents are required.

Listed Buildings

If you live in a listed building, we advise you to get pre-application advice. Listed building consent will be needed for solar panels, ground source heat pumps and may be needed for any new pipework necessary for new boilers and heating controls, loft, and cavity wall insulation. Putting in an air source heat pump within the site boundary of a Listed Building needs planning permission, as well as listed building consent. More information can be found on our listed buildings webpage.

Curtilage

Curtilage means an area of land attached to a house and any closely associated buildings and structures.

A single-family home in an area with no planning designations not in a conservation area

Find out if your home is within a conservation area by checking our conservation area maps.

Planning Process

Below you can see what does, and doesn’t, need planning permission if it’s a flat.

See the end of the section on how to apply for planning permission. along with links to our validation checklist that sets out what you need to submit with your application 

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Allowed so long as the panels:

  • Don't stick out more than 200mm from the roof slope or wall
  • Are no higher than the highest part of the original roof (excluding any chimney).

Conditions:

  • Must be sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building
  • Located to minimise its effect on the amenity of the area; and to be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed.

Permitted if:

  • No more than one /array (block of panels)
  • No higher than 4m above ground level
  • Not within 5m of the curtilage boundary
  • Area of the panels does not exceed 9 square meters
  • The area of an array of panels is not more than 3 square meters.

Conditions:

  • Must be sited to minimise its effect on the appearance of the building
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed when no longer needed

Allowed if:

  • The installation complies with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards 
  • Only one unit is installed
  • The volume of the unit is not bigger than 0.6 cubic metres
  • At least 1m in from the site boundary
  • It is not put on a pitched roof
  • is more than 1m from the edge of the roof if it’s on a flat roof A wind turbine is not already installed at the property
  • It is attached to any wall NOT blocking a highway (pavement or road) or, if it is attached to a wall that fronts a highway (pavement or road), then it needs to be located on any part of that wall at ground floor level

Conditions:

  • The equipment is only used for heating purposes
  • It is sited to minimise the effect on the appearance of the building
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed.

Permitted on the building if:

  • The installation complies with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards
  • There is no other turbine on the building
  • an air source heat pump is not already on the same building
  • The highest part of the turbine (including blades) would not exceed 3m above the highest part of the roof (excluding chimney) or would not exceed 15m in height (from ground level)
  • The blades are higher than 5m from the ground
  • The swept area of any blade would not exceed 3.8m2
  • The blades shall be made of non-reflective material
  • It is sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance and amenity of the area
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed

Permitted as stand-alone wind turbine on the ground if:

  • The installation complies with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards
  • There is no other turbine on the any of the buildings on the site
  • an air source heat pump is not already on the same building
  • The highest part of the turbine would not exceed 11.1m in height (from ground level)
  • The blades are higher than 5m from the ground
  • It is in a position which is less than a distance equivalent to the overall height (including blades) of the stand-alone wind turbine plus 10% of its height when measured from any point along the boundary of the curtilage
  • The swept area of any blade would exceed 3.8m2
  • The blades must be made of non-reflective material
  • It is sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance and amenity of the area
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed

From complete render to complete external wall insulation render

Allowed (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission required).

From mainly render (for e.g. where an elevation has brick arches, corbelling or bay window brick detailing etc.) to complete external wall insulation render

Allowed (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission required).

Detailing, such as the use of brick slips should be replicated where possible.

From a mixture of render and brick or other cladding material to a mixture of external wall insulation render over existing render and other matching cladding materials (such as brick slips) 

Permitted but seek Duty Officer advice (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission required).

From a mixture of render and brick or other cladding material to complete external wall insulation render

Planning permission needed.

From complete or mainly brick or other cladding material to complete or mainly external wall insulation render

Planning permission needed.

Permitted conditions:

  • Flats - appearance of windows to be the same as existing windows.
  • 1:1250 or 1:2500 site location plan, with the site edged in red.
  • A square-on photo of each elevation where the external wall insulation is to be applied. The photos should be labelled to show how each different material on each elevation is to be treated.
  • A product information sheet indicating the render type (depth) and colour finish.
  • A short written description regarding the works.

Floor plans, site plans and sections are not required for validation purposes.

 

A house

Planning Process

Below you can see what does, and doesn’t, need planning permission if it’s a house.

See the end of the section on how to.apply for planning permission along with links to our validation checklist, which sets out what you need to submit with your application. 

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) with no more than 6 occupants are considered dwelling houses for the purposes of the permitted development rights that they benefit from.

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Permitted if:

  • Stick out no more than 200mm from the roofslope or wall
  • Are no higher than the highest part of the original roof (excluding any chimney).

Conditions:

  • Must be sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building
  • Located to minimise its effect on the look of the area; and
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed

Permitted if:

  • No more than one array (block of pannels)
  • No higher than 4m above ground level
  • Not within 5m of the curtilage boundary
  • Area of the panels not to exceed 9 square meters
  • the area of an array of panels is not more than 3 square meters

Conditions:

  • Must be sited to minimise its effect on appearance of the building
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed 

Allowed if:

  • The installation complies with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards
  • Only one unit is installed
  • The volume of the unit is not bigger than 0.6 cubic metres
  • At least 1m from the site boundary
  • It is not put on a pitched roof
  • it’s more than 1m from the edge of the roof if it’s on a flat roof 
  • A wind turbine is not already installed at the property
  • It is attached to any wall NOT blocking a highway (pavement or road) or, if it is attached to a wall that fronts a highway (pavement or road) then it needs to be located on any part of that wall at ground floor level

Conditions

  • The equipment is only used for heating purposes
  • It is sited to minimise the effect on the appearance of the building
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed

Allowed on the building if:

  • The installation complies with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards
  • there is no other turbine on the building
  • an air source heat pump is not already on the same building
  • The highest part of the turbine (including blades) would not exceed 3m above the highest part of the roof (excluding chimney) or would not exceed 15m in height (from ground level)
  • The blades are higher that 5m from the ground
  • The swept area of any blade would not exceed 3.8m2
  • The blades shall be made of non-reflective material
  • Must be sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance and amenity of the area
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed

 

Permitted as stand-alone turbine if:

  • The installation complies with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards
  • There is no other turbine on the building
  • An Air Source Heat Pump is not installed on the same building
  • The highest part of the turbine would not exceed 11.1m in height (from ground level)
  • The blades are higher than 5m from the ground
  • It is located in a position which is less than a distance equivalent to the overall height (including blades) of the stand-alone wind turbine plus 10% of its height when measured from any point along the boundary of the curtilage
  • The swept area of any blade would exceed 3.8m2
  • The blades shall be made of non-reflective material
  • It is sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance and amenity of the area
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as reasonably practicable

From complete render to complete external wall insulation render

Allowed (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission required).

From mainly render (for e.g. where an elevation has brick arches, corbelling or bay window brick detailing etc.) to complete external wall insulation render

Allowed (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission required).

Detailing, such as the use of brick slips should be replicated where possible.

From a mixture of render and brick or other cladding material to a mixture of external wall insulation render over existing render and other matching cladding materials (such as brick slips) 

Allowed but seek Duty Officer advice (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission required).

From a mixture of render and brick or other cladding material to complete external wall insulation render

  • Planning permission needed.

From complete or mainly brick or other cladding material to complete or mainly external wall insulation render

  • Planning permission needed.

Allowed so long as:

  • The house did not previously have another storage/distribution centre or agricultural building
  • The vent pipe is less than 1 meter higher than the highest point of the roof.
  • 1:1250 or 1:2500 site location plan, with the site edged in red.
  • A square-on photo of each elevation where the external wall insulation is to be applied. The photos should be labelled to show how each different material on each elevation is to be treated.
  • A product information sheet indicating the render type (depth) and colour finish.
  • A short written description regarding the works

Note: floor plans, site plans and sections are not required for validation purposes

 

A single family home in a conservation area (without an article 4 direction)

Planning Process

Below you can see what does, and doesn’t, need planning permission if it’s a house or if planning permission is needed from the Local Planning Authority. See the end of the section to apply for planning permission along with links to our validation checklist, which sets out what you need to submit with your application. 

If your home is in a conservation area which has article 4 direction in place. It removes some permitted development rights which will be listed in Article 4 Direction.

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Permitted if:

  • Not on a wall or roof slope which fronts the highway (pavement or road)
  • Stick out no more than 200mm from a pitched roofslope or wall (not fronting the highway)
  • Are no higher than 1 meter above the highest part of a flat roof (excluding any chimney).

Conditions:

  • Must be sited to minimise effect on the appearance of the building
  • Must not be installed on a wall which fronts a highway
  • Located to minimise its effect on the look of the area
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed

 

 

Permitted if:

  • No more than one array (block of panels)
  • No higher than 4m above ground level
  • Not within 5m of the curtilage boundary
  • area of the panels does not exceed 9 square meters 
  • the area of an array of panels is not more than 3 square meters
  • any dimension of an array of panels is not more than 3m.

 Conditions:

  • Must be sited to minimise its effect on the appearance of the building
  • Equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer required

Allowed if: 

  • only one unit is installed
  • the volume of the unit is not bigger than 0.6 cubic metres 
  • at least 1m in from the site boundary 
  • it is not put on a pitched roof 
  • it’s more than 1m from the edge of the roof if it’s on a flat roof the unit is not installed higher than the ground storey 
  • not on a wall or roof that faces a highway (pavement or road) or positioned nearer to any highway than the building 

Conditions: 

  • the equipment is only used for heating purposes 
  • must be sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building 
  • equipment which is no longer needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed  

Permitted on the building if:

  • The installation complies with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Planning Standards
  • There is no other turbine on the building
  • an air source heat pump is not already on the same building
  • The highest part of the turbine (including blades) would not exceed 3m above the highest part of the roof (excluding chimney) or would not exceed 15m in height (from ground level).
  • The blades are higher that 5m from the ground
  • The swept area of any blade would not exceed 3.8m2
  • Any part of the turbine is not within 5m of any site boundary
  • It is not attached to a wall or roof slope which fronts a highway
  • The blades shall be made of non-reflective material
  • It is sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance and amenity of the area
  • Equipment is removed as soon as possible when no longer needed. 

Permitted as stand-alone turbine if:

  • there is no other turbine on any of the buildings on the site 
  • an air source heat pump is not already on the same building 
  • the highest part of the turbine would not exceed 11.1m in height (from ground level) 
  • the blades are higher than 5m from the ground 
  • It is in a position which is less than a distance equivalent to the overall height (including blades) of the stand-alone wind turbine plus 10% of its height when measured from any point along the boundary of the curtilage 
  • the swept area would not exceed 3.8m2 
  • the blades must be made of non-reflective material 
  • it is sited to minimise its effect on how the area looks 

equipment needed for microgeneration shall be removed as soon as possible when no longer needed 

Planning permission required, (seek householder pre-application advice for further guidance).

Permitted conditions:

  • Dwellinghouse - to be of similar appearance to the existing ones

  • Flats - the look of the windows to be the same as existing windows.

Permitted, provided that:

  • The house did not previously have another use
  • The vent pipe is less than 1 meter higher than the highest point of the roof; and
  • The vent pipe is not on a main wall that fronts the highway (pavement or road) or on a side wall that fronts the highway (pavement or road).

 

External wall insulation – check if you need permission

It seems you are trying to insert an entire collapsible list here, please select the items you wish to include individually then try again.

Planning permission needed - see householder pre-application advice for further guidance

From complete render to complete external wall insulation render

Planning permission not needed (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission is needed).

complete external wall insulation render 

Planning permission not needed (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission needed).

Detailing, such as the use of brick slips should be replicated where possible.

From a mixture of render and brick or other cladding material to a mixture of external wall insulation render over existing render and other matching cladding materials (such as brick slips) 

Planning permission not needed but seek Duty Officer advice (unless a listed building in which case listed building consent and planning permission required).

From a mixture of render and brick or other cladding material to complete external wall insulation render

Planning permission required.

From complete or mainly brick or other cladding material to complete or mainly external wall insulation render

Planning permission required.

  • A 1:1250 or 1:2500 site location plan, with the site edged in red.
  • A square-on photo of each wall where the external wall insulation is to be applied. The photos should be labelled to show how each different material on each wall is to be treated.
  • A product information sheet indicating the render type (depth) and colour finish.
  • A short written description about the works.

Floor plans, site plans and sections are not required for validation purposes.

 

 

Applying for planning permission

The best way to apply is to use the Planning Portal. You can complete your application form, upload supporting documents, calculate and pay fees all in one place. You will need to submit an application for full planning permission for works to a flat and an application for householder planning permission for single family houses. 

If you can't apply online, you can download our planning forms from the Planning Portal. 

You can check the cost of your application using the fee calculator. 

Your application goes through a checking process to make sure you've given us all the information we need. If you don’t give us all the documents we need.

A copy of what is needed with your application for full planning permission can be found here: List of required documents for validation. 

We also provide Householder and Small Business Planning Advice if you need further help.

Additional Resources you may wish to look at include:

Planning applications