Air conditioning in Camden: what you can install and what the grant covers

Do you need planning permission in Camden?

If you live in a house, usually not. Since May 2025, one air-to-air heat pump (two on a detached house) is permitted development in England, as long as the outdoor unit is under 1.5 m³, meets the MCS noise standard, and isn't mounted above ground-floor level on a wall facing the street.

Cooling-only air conditioning does not qualify for the national heat-pump permitted-development route. Check with Camden whether planning permission is needed for the specific proposal. A unit that heats as well as cools may qualify under Class G if it meets every condition.

Conservation areas in Camden

Camden has 40 conservation areas — including Hampstead, Bloomsbury, Primrose Hill and Highgate — plus more than 5,600 listed buildings.

Inside a conservation area, the permitted development route disappears for any unit on a wall or roof facing the street: you'll need a rear or concealed placement, or a planning application. In a listed building you'll need listed building consent too. A good installer will survey placement options before you commit; Camden's conservation area list and appraisals are on the council's website.

Flats and leaseholds

With around 86% of Camden households in flats — over half in purpose-built blocks and a quarter in converted Victorian houses — this is the section most Camden readers need.

A block of flats can use the national permitted-development route for an air-source heat pump if every Class G limit and condition is met. Check the exact proposal with Camden and obtain any required freeholder consent before fixing a unit to the building. If you rent, the grant follows the property — you can share your checker result with your landlord in one click.

The £2,500 grant in Camden

Around one in eight Camden households heats with electricity only — storage heaters and panel radiators in mansion blocks, conversions and ex-council flats.

The £2,500 air-to-air grant can apply to an eligible residential installation replacing either fossil-fuel or non-heat-pump electric heating. Homes with direct electric heating can be good candidates, but gas-boiler homes are not excluded on heating type alone. Your MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher through Ofgem and takes £2,500 off the price — there's no form for you to fill in.

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