Air conditioning in Hammersmith & Fulham: what you can install and what the grant covers
Hammersmith & Fulham is one of the few London councils with a dedicated planning page for air source heat pumps — useful, because about half the borough sits inside its 44 conservation areas, and three-quarters of households live in flats. Here's what that means for installing air conditioning, and how the government's £2,500 grant for air-to-air heat pumps fits in.
See if the £2,500 grant applies to your home — five questions.
Check my eligibilityDo you need planning permission in Hammersmith & Fulham?
For houses, usually not — and H&F's own guidance says so directly. One air-to-air heat pump is permitted development if it's under 1.5 m³, meets the MCS noise standard, and isn't above ground-floor level on a street-facing wall.
The council's heat pump page flags the exceptions in plain English: you need permission if the unit is cooling-only, if you want more than one on a non-detached home, if you're in a conservation area and the unit would front the street, or if the building is listed. The council's advice matches the sensible default anyway: site units at the rear, away from neighbours.
Conservation areas in Hammersmith & Fulham
St Peter's Square, Brook Green, Parsons Green, Bishops Park — 44 conservation areas covering about half the borough, plus almost 500 listed buildings including Fulham Palace and Hammersmith Bridge.
Inside one, nothing goes on a street-facing wall or roof without permission; rear elevations and back additions are the standard placements in the borough's terraced streets.
Flats and leaseholds
About 75% of H&F households are in flats — including one of London's highest shares of converted houses, at nearly a quarter of all homes.
Conversions mean shared or absent freeholders, so consent for the external unit is the step to start early. Flats need a planning application too. Renters: the grant follows the property — share your checker result with your landlord in one click.
The £2,500 grant in Hammersmith & Fulham
Around 10,000 H&F households — one in eight — heat with electricity only: panel heaters in conversions, storage heaters in blocks.
The £2,500 air-to-air grant is ring-fenced for these homes — properties replacing direct electric heating — and the unit it funds is the one H&F's planning rules treat most kindly. Your MCS-certified installer applies through Ofgem and takes £2,500 off the quote.
See if the £2,500 grant applies to your home — five questions.
Check my eligibilityFrequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission for air conditioning in Hammersmith & Fulham?
Houses usually don't for an air-to-air heat pump; the council's own heat pump page confirms it. Cooling-only units always need permission, as do flats — which are 75% of the borough's homes.
Can I install air con in a Hammersmith & Fulham conservation area?
Usually yes, at the rear and out of sight of the street. About half the borough is conservation area, so this placement question comes up on most H&F installs.
Can flats in Hammersmith & Fulham get the £2,500 grant?
Yes, if the flat replaces direct electric heating — about one in eight H&F households heats this way. In the borough's many converted houses, start the freeholder-consent conversation early.
Who applies for the grant?
Your MCS-certified installer applies to Ofgem on your behalf and deducts £2,500 from your quote. You never fill in a government form.
Nearby
Useful links
SOURCES
LBHF air source heat pumps guidance
LBHF conservation areas page
ONS Census 2021 (E09000013)
legislation.gov.uk GPDO Part 14 Class G
Local information is indicative. Confirm planning and costs with an MCS-certified installer for your address, and check the current Ofgem guidance for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.