Air conditioning in Islington: what you can install and what the grant covers
Islington packs 42 conservation areas and around 4,500 listed buildings into London's second-smallest borough — about half of it is protected — and more than eight in ten households live in flats. Here's how that affects installing air conditioning, and how the government's £2,500 grant for air-to-air heat pumps (the wall-mounted units most people call air conditioning) fits in.
See if the £2,500 grant applies to your home — five questions.
Check my eligibilityDo you need planning permission in Islington?
Houses outside conservation areas usually don't: one air-to-air heat pump that heats as well as cools is permitted development in England — under 1.5 m³, meeting the MCS noise standard, not above ground-floor level on a street-facing wall. Cooling-only air conditioning always needs an application.
Islington is unusually helpful here: the council publishes its own permitted development guide for net-zero works and a dedicated heat pump application checklist (one thing to know: parts of the published guide predate the national rule change of May 2025, which relaxed several limits — your installer should work to the current rules). Where an application is needed, Islington asks for scale drawings and noise details, and prefers units on rear elevations or flat roofs.
Conservation areas in Islington
Barnsbury, Canonbury, Highbury Fields, Clerkenwell Green — 42 conservation areas covering around half the borough.
Inside them, a unit on a wall or roof fronting the street isn't permitted development: you'll need a rear or concealed placement or a planning application with a short heritage statement, which Islington's checklist spells out. Listed buildings (around 4,500 of them) need listed building consent as well.
Flats and leaseholds
Almost 84% of Islington households are in flats — Georgian conversions in Barnsbury, purpose-built blocks everywhere else.
Flats don't have the permitted development rights houses do, so plan for a planning application plus freeholder consent for the external unit. Renting? The grant follows the property — share your checker result with your landlord in one click.
The £2,500 grant in Islington
About 14% of Islington households heat with electricity only — storage heaters in ex-council blocks and panel radiators in conversions.
The £2,500 air-to-air grant is ring-fenced for exactly these homes: properties replacing direct electric heating. Gas-boiler homes don't qualify for this tier. Your MCS-certified installer applies through Ofgem and takes the £2,500 off your price — nothing for you to claim.
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 Islington?
Houses outside conservation areas usually don't for an air-to-air heat pump; cooling-only units always do. About half of Islington is conservation area, and flats — 84% of the borough's homes — need an application plus freeholder consent.
Can I install air con in an Islington conservation area?
Usually yes, placed on a rear elevation or somewhere not visible from the street. Islington publishes a heat pump application checklist that tells you exactly what to submit when permission is needed.
Can flats in Islington get the £2,500 grant?
Yes, if the flat currently heats with direct electric heating such as storage heaters — about 14% of Islington households do. The freeholder needs to consent to the external unit.
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
Islington conservation areas page
Islington Net Zero Permitted Development Guide
Islington ASHP planning checklist
ONS Census 2021 (E09000019)
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.