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

Do you need planning permission in Croydon?

For many houses, possibly not. In England, one air-to-air heat pump (two on a detached house) can be permitted development under Class G if every limit and condition is met: the outdoor unit is no more than 1.5 m³, the installation complies with MCS 020a on noise, and the unit is not above ground-floor level on a wall facing a highway.

Cooling-only air conditioning does not qualify for this heat-pump route. Check with Croydon council whether planning permission is needed for a cooling-only proposal. If you want certainty for a house, you can ask the council for a lawful development certificate.

Conservation areas in Croydon

Croydon has 21 conservation areas and 168 statutory listed buildings. Inside one, the permitted-development route does not cover a unit on a wall or roof that fronts a highway, so the usual answer is a rear or concealed position, or a planning application.

Listed buildings always need listed building consent, whichever wall the unit is on. Croydon's local heritage areas add no extra consent requirement on their own, but conservation areas do. Some homes may also be covered by an Article 4 direction that removes permitted-development rights, so check with the council before you commit.

Flats and leaseholds

Around four in ten (39.8%) of Croydon households live in flats: purpose-built blocks, converted houses and flats in other buildings. A block of flats can use Class G if every condition is met, including the 0.6 m³ limit on the outdoor unit and only the first unit on the block.

Leaseholders should check their lease and obtain any required freeholder or managing-agent consent before anything is fixed to the outside of the building. If you rent, the grant follows the property, so you can share your checker result with your landlord.

The £2,500 grant in Croydon

Three quarters (74.7%) of Croydon households heat with mains gas only, and around one in ten (10.4%) with electricity only.

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 are the easiest fit because nothing else has to change. Gas-boiler homes can also qualify, but only if the boiler is fully removed and the new system covers all heating and hot water; for many boiler homes the £7,500 air-to-water grant is the better route, and a property can only use one grant. Your MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher through Ofgem. Nothing is guaranteed until they confirm your home and a certified product.

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